True Friends
by Curryfury13
Summary: Beginning a year before the events of the first KH takes place and then goes into KH by Ch 10. A girl arrives at Destiny Islands, similarly to the way Kairi does. At this girl's arrival, Kairi begins to question how and why she came to Destiny Islands in the first place. Riku is ecstatic to meet another person from another world and can't wait to learn where this girl came from.
1. Interesting Things

Chapter 1

The setting sun shimmered over the ocean horizon. Riku and his friends were watching the sun set by the paopu fruit tree like they did almost every day. Sora and Kairi sat on the long tilting trunk while Riku leaned against it, talking about the little things that had happened that day. But Riku wasn't paying attention to anything they were saying today. His thoughts were elsewhere.

Riku closed his eyes and listened to the soft waves rush across the shore line. Destiny Islands… a place he called home but somehow didn't feel like it really was. He dreamt of adventure, other worlds to explore. But instead he was stuck here, doing the same thing every day. It wasn't all bad; he had two best friends, Sora and Kairi that spent every bit of their free time together with him. He didn't know what he would do if they weren't there to keep him sane. Nothing exciting ever happened on this island.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Kairi whined as she shook Riku's shoulder. Riku opened his eyes and looked at up at her with an apologetic expression. Kairi shot Sora an annoyed scowl as Sora just uncomfortably rubbed the back of his spikey brown hair and gave her an awkward smile. She motioned her head towards Riku urging Sora to say something to him. Sora cleared his throat and leaned forward so Riku could see him, "What's going on with you Riku? You seem like something's been on your mind lately."

Riku shook his head, making his silver hair sway back and forth, before speaking as if to clear his mind of useless thoughts, "I just can't stop thinking about what's out there." Gesturing his arm towards the ocean, "I mean, I can't believe that this island is all there is. There has to be more." He leaned off the trunk and walked forward to face his friends. "We know there has to be something; Kairi couldn't have just fallen from nothing."

Kairi shivered when Riku mentioned her falling. She wasn't born on Destiny Islands. In fact, she had no idea where she was born. When she was a small child she just appeared on the island. According to Sora she had fallen from the sky in what looked like a falling star. A bright beam had broken through the clouds and crashed into the ocean. The fall wasn't something she remembered. But just thinking that she had been taken from her home and suddenly transported to another place entirely chilled her to the bone. She was terrified of it happening again; especially since she had no idea why or how it happened in the first place.

Just thinking about the incident was starting to make her feel increasingly uncomfortable. Sora intuitively noticed Kairi's discomfort and placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. She looked over at him, pushed a few short strands of auburn hair behind her ear, and gave him a smile of silent thanks as Riku continued. "We need to find a way to get out of here," he ranted, without noticing how his previous comment had affected Kairi. He turned his back to them and looked out into the ocean. Sora and Kairi gave each other concerned glances. They too wanted to see what was out there. Kairi especially wanted to find the world she came from, to learn how and why she ended up on the islands. Yet, their curiosity hadn't consumed them nearly as much as it was Riku. Lately it had been all he could think about.

Before either of them could speak up to address Riku's obsession an ear piercing roar rang through the air and the sky flashed. A blinding ray shot through the clouds and struck the ocean. Riku put his hands over his ears, trying to tune out the high pitched ringing they were producing. He scanned the ocean for where the beam had hit. Suddenly his eyes caught something floating in the water. It was too far away to make out exactly what it was; so rather than guess he decided to go check it out for himself. He immediately dove into the ocean and began to swim towards the unnamed object. After a minute of swimming he paused to catch his breath and to see if he could begin to see what he was after. The sight made him gasp as he realized that the floating object was in fact a human being. Instantly he pushed himself to swim as fast as his muscles would allow him. The waves of the uncaring ocean clashed against him. Almost as if they were trying to keep him from getting aid for the helpless human who did not seem to be moving, let alone breathing. Once Riku reached the person he wrapped his arm around their waist and began rushing back towards the shore. Keeping their heads above water was proving much more difficult than he needed right now. The waves seemed to only be getting more aggressive, crashing against them and pushing them underwater, making Riku get a mouth full of salt water. Yet he wasn't about to let go and give up on getting this person back. He pushed through to the shore until his muscles were screaming at him to stop, and even then ignoring their plea as he trudged on. It all paid off as he finally landed on the wet sand and pulled the person onto the shore, far enough away from the tide.

Only then did he realize that the person he saved had been a girl; a girl that did not seem to be breathing. Frantically Riku looked for Sora or Kairi and yelled, "Go get help! I don't think she's breathing!"

Sora nodded at Riku and lightly grabbed Kairi's wrist, "Come on! We need to find help!" But Kairi couldn't move. Her legs seemed glued to the sand as she just stared terrified at the girl in Riku's arms. It had happened again. The same thing that had brought her here was happening all over. Sora noticed Kairi's immobility but didn't have the time to calm her down. He just resided to giving a supportive squeeze to her wrist before turning to run for help.

Riku placed two of his fingers on the girl's neck, trying to check for a nonexistent pulse. There had to be a way to get her breathing again. His eyes widened when he remembered the CPR class he had just finished a couple months ago. Never in his lifetime did he think he would actually have to use those skills but now here it was. He took a deep breath as he got his hands in position on the girl's chest. He felt his face burn red as he realized he had never touched a girl here before; especially one he didn't even know the name of, but considering the circumstance he hoped she wouldn't mind too terribly.

"One, two, three," he counted as he pressed down on her chest, trying to get her to catch a breath. He continued frantically, just hoping that he hadn't been too late in getting her out of the water. But just as he was losing that hope, the girl's eyes shot open and she began to cough. Riku sprang back as the girl doubled over spewing sea water that had made its way into her lungs. She gasped for air and fell back onto the sand, very weak but alive. She briefly looked over at Riku before sighing and passing out again. Then, as if on cue, Sora came running up with a crowd of people and a few paramedics that were carrying a medical stretcher. Gasps and murmurs could be heard from the crowd as the medics carefully lifted the girl and placed her onto the stretcher. Riku was still in shock over what happened until Sora came over to him and offered him a hand to help him up.

He scanned the multiple people Sora had brought along, "I thought I said get help, not the whole island," he halfheartedly teased.

Sora chuckled and placed his hands behind his head, "Yeah well, once people saw the paramedics following me with the stretcher, they all just sort of began following too."

Riku just smiled back at Sora, trying to take in everything that had just happened. Before either of them could say anything further one of the paramedics approached them. The middle aged woman put her hand on Riku's shoulder, "Well, that was some fast thinking. I don't know if she would have made it without you. We are going to be keeping her at the clinic for a while so she can recover. Feel free to come visit her. In fact if she is anything like our last visitor…" She glanced up at Kairi who was still standing by the paopu tree watching everything transpire, "She's going to need some people help her get settled into her new life here."

Just then the crowd of people who had just been watching the paramedics began to swarm Riku, congratulating him on saving the girl's life and asking what had happened. Sora took that opportunity to slip away and check on Kairi. As he climbed up to the paopu tree he noticed that Kairi had finally turned around from watching the shore line where Riku and the crowd were. She had her head pointed downwards as if she was deep in thought and one of her arms was behind her back with her hand holding the forearm of the other. Sora walked up to her slowly as if not to startle her. He could tell that she had just been through a lot. After coming up beside her he found he didn't really know what to say. He just decided to stick with, "Hey. Are you okay?"

Without looking up Kairi replied, "Is that what happened when I came here? Did someone have to save me?"

Honestly, Sora had no idea. He was only six when Kairi had come to Destiny Islands. The whole incident back then was a blur to him. "I-I don't know," He finally decided to say, "I don't really remember." When she didn't really react at all he leaned down so she could see his face and added, "But I bet we can find someone who does!"

This caused Kairi to look up at least. Before today she never really had an interest in knowing anything about the day she came to the island. Since she didn't remember anything about where she had come from, she liked to pretend that she was actually born here. But to think that someone could have saved her life, why would someone not tell her about it? She may not have wanted to know before, but now she and Sora were going to find out.


	2. Some Things Are Better Left Alone

Chapter 2

Riku was outside taking practice swings with his wooden sword. School had let out about two hours ago and he always liked to wind down by practicing for his sparring class on the sandy banks by the paopu tree. It had been two days since he had rescued the girl from drowning. She was still sleeping soundly at the clinic, but the doctors said that she could wake any time now. Since the incident, many people from the town were calling Riku a hero. Not that he minded, in fact he rather liked his new title. Riku the hero, he thought, creating a heroic pose with a smug look. Finally something interesting had happened around the island.

That still left the girl he saved. He hadn't worked up the courage to go visit her yet. Despite his pride and two best friends, he wasn't exactly good with people. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, where she came from, what her world was like; but he wasn't sure if she would even be willing to talk about it. She might end up being like Kairi and not remember anything at all. Still, he knew he had to try; even if he was nervous about talking with her. He sighed as he looked towards the clinic. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any." He mumbled to himself and began to walk across the wooden bridge, holding his sword over his shoulder.

A bell rang as Riku opened the door to the clinic and a young man at the front desk looked up at him. He walked up to the counter and cleared his throat before speaking, "Hi, I'm here to visit a girl that came here a couple days ago."

The man knew exactly who he was talking about and stood up to show Riku where to go. He led him to the back down a hallway filled with different rooms for various patients. Then about halfway down the man stopped and opened the door to where the girl was. Riku just nodded thanks as he walked inside and the door closed behind him. He sighed as he looked around the room. The room was mostly bare; there was a small bed with medical equipment surrounding it and a wooden chair next to the bed. A large window on the same wall as the bed had a pleasant view of the ocean and surrounding town. He slowly walked up to the chair and sat down. Once he was seated he looked over at the bed where the girl was sleeping. She looked about the same age as Riku and had long red hair that was a little bit brighter than Kairi's. As he was looking at her a female nurse walked into the room and was startled when she saw Riku.

"Just here to check her vitals," the nurse chimed, "I'm surprised she has any visitors, given that nobody seems to know who she is."

Riku changed his gaze up to greet the nurse but didn't say anything. There wasn't really anything to be said. He was not sure himself why he was there. It's not like she would notice whether he was or not. He watched as the woman checked the girl's blood pressure and did other tests. After watching for a few minutes he decided that no one was benefitting from him being there and got up to leave. As he was about to close the door behind him the nurse called, "I think she may be waking up!"

Riku ran back into the room to see if she was indeed waking up. The girl's brown eyes fluttered open and she looked sleepily around the room. Moments passed as the girl began to become more aware of her surroundings. Riku was sure she would begin to panic since she most likely had no idea where she was, but instead the girl just took everything in. The nurse gently put her hand on the girl's arm, "Don't worry Miss, you are completely safe. You are in Destiny Islands and arrived here about two days ago when you fell unconscious into the ocean. Since then you have been in this hospital" She paused to let the girl take in all the information, "May I ask what your name is?"

A coughing fit interrupted the girl before being able to speak, "My name is Hinata." She slowly sat up despite the nurse's complaints of her moving, "I don't suppose you have seen my sister, Aiko."

The nurse gave Riku a troubled look before replying to Hinata, "I'm sorry Miss, but to the best of our knowledge, you are the only person here from wherever you came from."

Hinata's eyes closed as she brought her hands to her face and groaned. That was the last thing she needed to hear. But this wasn't the time to worry about it. At least she was safe and alive, thanks to a young man who had saved her life. "Speaking of which," she accidentally spoke out loud as she lowered her hands and looked past the nurse at Riku, "By chance are you the one who… saved me?"

Realizing it was probably her cue to leave the nurse backed away, "I should go tell the doctor that you're up Miss Hinata."

As the nurse left Riku walked back to the wooden chair by Hinata's bed and sat down before telling her everything that had happened when he saved her life. While he spoke she leaned back in her bed and took in everything he was saying. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; falling from the sky, almost dying, and without even realizing what had happened. Once Riku finished telling her everything, Hinata turned her head towards him, "Thank you for saving me."

Riku felt his cheeks flush, "Don't worry about it. Anyone else would have done it in my place." Even though he loved the attention, he wasn't about to let her know that. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Riku spoke up again, "So… um, I don't know if this is too soon to be asking, but, do you have any memory of where you came from or how you got here?"

Hinata sat up and brought her knees to her chest, "I do, but,"

Before she could continue, doctors burst into the room being led by the chirpy nurse from earlier. Hinata was being bombarded with needles and questions from them. Riku was trying to just sit patiently in the wooden chair but the nurse grabbed his arm and led him out the door saying something about patient confidentiality. All Riku could do was quickly call out to Hinata, "I'll be back tomorrow!" before being shoved out of the room and having the door closed in his face. He hit his head against the door, finally he meets someone who can tell him of the outside world and he has to wait until tomorrow to learn more about it. He lightly kicked the bottom of the door with frustration before turning to leave the hospital.

Outside the hospital Kairi was waiting for Sora so they could start their research, as Sora was calling it. They had agreed to wait until the thrill about Riku's heroic act had died down before conducting their own research about Kairi's past.

"Hey Kairi," Sora chirped in his usual upbeat manner as he jogged up to Kairi, "Ready to do some research?" He gave her thumbs up and a big grin. Kairi chuckled and gave Sora a warm smile. He always knew how to cheer her up. Riku thought that Sora's constant optimism could be too much to handle sometimes, but Kairi didn't mind it. It helped keep her feet on the ground.

"Let's do it!" She claimed, trying to match Sora's mood, "Maybe we should ask Riku to join. He might know a good place to start."

"Sure thing," Sora agreed, "But where can we find him?"

Right when the words left Sora's mouth, Riku walked out of the hospital and stopped when he noticed his friends, "Hey guys, what are you two doing here?"

Sora and Kairi looked at each other and began to laugh. Riku just looked at them confused, "What are you laughing about?"

Kairi composed herself and reached one arm behind her back to grab the other, "Oh nothing, we were just talking about you; wanted to know if you would want to join us."

"Yeah," Sora continued leaning one arm on Kairi, "We are doing some research to see if anyone remembers the day Kairi came to Destiny Islands."

Riku crossed his arms and looked at the ground, he was glad he found these two. They would help him get his mind off Hinata for a while. "Well," he started, "I think a good place to start would be writing down everything you do remember about the day you came here. Do you have a journal to write down your findings?"

Kairi rummaged through a backpack she had been carrying with her and pulled out a green journal with a gold outline of a cricket. Riku grabbed it and held it up, "Why do you have a journal with a cricket on it?"

She grabbed it back, "Because," she defended, "it's cute and crickets are a sign of good luck!"

The three of them laughed as they went to a picnic table nearby to begin writing. Kairi opened the journal and began to read aloud as she wrote, "I don't really remember much of anything when I came here. I do remember having to meet couples that wanted to adopt me." She paused after writing that. The parents that ended up adopting her were wonderful to her and she thought of them as her own mom and dad. But to think that she could have parents out there missing her, while she couldn't even remember their faces, was too much to bear. Before she could stop it, Kairi could feel tears falling onto her journal pages. Sora and Riku looked up at each other with worry in their eyes. Maybe trying to look back at buried memories wasn't such a great idea. Sora wrapped an arm around Kairi in comfort and Riku grabbed her journal, putting it back into her bag. They would have to continue their research another day.

**Author's Notes: Hinata is pronounced /hee-nah-tah/ and is Japanese for "Facing the Sun"

Aiko is pronounced /ah-ee-ko/ and is Japanese for (ai) "love, affection" and (ko) "child"

Everything other than my OC everything in this story belongs to Square Enix. Thank you for reading!**


	3. New Friend

Chapter 3

The hands on the clock behind the lecturing teacher seemed to tick slower than the sea turtle Riku had seen on his way to class this morning. Riku hadn't even been at school for half a day yet, but he was growing more restless by the minute. He couldn't wait to find out about where Hinata came from. Having their conversation cut short the day before had been gnawing at him like nothing else ever had before. The anticipation was killing him as so many questions whirled around in his head. School was the last thing on his mind. Especially since all of his teachers so far had insisted on just sticking to lectures today. Riku looked around at his fellow students who also seemed as disinterested in their teacher's lecture. He wished he had someone to keep him company or help pass the time. It didn't help that he was a grade ahead of both Sora and Kairi, his two only real friends. He got along well enough with his classmates, but not so much that he would spend time with them outside of class. A sigh escaped his lips as he leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Hinata. He remembered that she looked about the same age as him, and maybe she would end up being in the same grade.

"That would be nice," Riku unknowingly said aloud.

"Excuse me Riku," Riku's History teacher, Mr. Zhoa called; bringing him out of his thoughts and making him look up front at the teacher. "You think that forcing children to do manual labor would be 'nice'?"

The whole class turned their gazes to Riku, who was sitting on the far right of the room, just waiting to see what he would come up with. He sheepishly laughed and rubbed the back of his head, trying to come up with an excuse. Thankfully, the lunch bell rang right on cue and the other students jumped up and rushed out of the room. Riku began to also get up when he heard Mr. Zhoa ask him to stay after class. He inwardly groaned as he waited for the other students to clear out before approaching his teacher's desk.

Meanwhile, Sora and Kairi were finding a place to sit in the large outside cafeteria, as school lunch had just started. Wooden picnic tables were lined together in multiple rows under a large canopy. Their school was on top of a steep hill that, when outside, the students could see the entire town down the hill up to the seaside and the island Sora and his friends liked to hang out. This view was both beautiful and taunting for them. Being able to see where they loved to spend their free time, but not allowed to leave to go there for another four hours almost felt like torture. The two friends sat down at the table with the best view of their hang out spot. They waited silently for Riku, wondering what was taking him so long. He usually was the one saving their spot.

When a few silent minutes past, Sora decided to break the silence, "Did you see what Lea drew on the chalk board before Mrs. Hamasaki started class this morning? I'm surprised he didn't get detention!"

Kairi didn't look up from her food she had barely touched, "I've been thinking," she started, unintentionally completely disregarding what Sora had said, "I want to continue our research."

He looked at Kairi rather surprised. After her breakdown the day before, he had figured she would want more time before trying again. As he was about to reply, he saw Riku out of the corner of eye and waved him over to their table. "What took you so long Riku?" he grilled, playfully hitting Riku's shoulder.

"Lost track of time I guess," He lied, not wanting to admit he had gotten berated by his last teacher for not paying attention.

Sora could tell he was lying but shrugged it off and instead blurted out, "Kairi says she wants to continue the research."

Before either Riku or Sora could tell Kairi they didn't like the idea of her pushing herself, she defended, "I was caught off guard yesterday. I can't pretend that I was born here forever. There has to be a reason no one on this island has talked to me about the day I came here. It's possible someone may even know where I came from! I know it's hard for me to accept my past, but I think it's important I do."

Once finished, Kairi scanned both of her friends, trying to see their reactions, but both seemed to be pondering what she had just said. After a moment Riku and Sora looked at each other and shrugged."

"If that's what you want." They both spoke in unison.

"Yeah," Sora continued, "If you think this is something you need to do, then of course we will help!"

"In fact," Riku added, "After school I was going to go talk to Hinata, maybe she can help us."

"Who is Hinata?" it was Sora and Kairi's turn to speak in unison.

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you guys about that have I?" Riku stated, pushing his hair out of his face, "Hinata is the name of the girl that fell from the sky a few days ago. I went to visit her yesterday and she woke up while I was there."

Sora interrupted him, "Wait, that girl you saved woke up and you didn't tell us?" He exclaimed throwing his hands in the air, "I see how it is." He teased, "Wait until you get some alone time before you have to share her."

"No it's not like that." Riku scoffed and shoved Sora before continuing, "When she woke up I asked her if she remembered anything about where she came from, and she did! But before I could get any details, a pushy nurse came in and forced me to leave. Maybe she'll know something about where you came from, Kairi."

Kairi's blue eyes lit up with excitement, "That's a great idea! I'm excited to meet her. Maybe we can finally add another girl to our group." She giggled and clasped her hands together.

After deciding to go meet Hinata after school let out, the three friends spent the rest of lunch talking and enjoying each other's company. The next three hours of classes seemed to drag on even slower than before, but eventually the final bell rang and all of the students flooded out of the building. Riku was the first one out and stood by the dirt path that went from the school down the hill into town. He looked down the hill. A spectacle he had seen so many times to and from school. Wooden homes were speckled along the hill leading down to the hospital before reaching the shoreline. This island was one of many; one of them being where Riku would spend most of his time with Sora and Kairi on the paopu tree. Many residents of the islands thought this view was the most beautiful spot in all of Destiny Islands, but it wasn't at all special to Riku; not anymore. He had seen it so many times and was tired of the same old sight. Seeing it and hearing people rave about it only made him want to see new worlds with new marvels all the more.

Soon Sora and Kairi were by Riku's side and ready to head to the hospital. As they walked down the long path they talked excitedly about where Hinata may have come from. Coming up with amazing tales and imagining what her world may look like. Sora had even suggested that there could be talking animals in her world. Kairi thought it was unlikely but possible, while Riku just laughed, mocking the notion.

"Like could you imagine a talking duck?" Riku jeered, "What, would it wear clothes too?"

"Hey you never know!" Sora defended, "I mean a few years ago we didn't even know there were other worlds."

Kairi giggled, "I think a talking duck would be adorable!"

"See," Sora pointed out, "Kairi thinks it's possible."

Riku waved his hand in the air nonchalantly, "Well of course she does. You two always agree with each other."

Both Sora and Kairi stopped and put their hands on their hips, "Do not!" They unanimously declared.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Riku laughed as he continued to walk.

Soon they arrived in front of the hospital. Riku's heart was pounding with anticipation. The last day had gone by so slowly and finally he would be able to learn everything he wanted. He pushed open the door and the bell rang letting the desk receptionist know they were coming in. The receptionist was different than the man the day before, this time it was a young blonde woman.

"Are you here to visit someone?" She asked in a sing song voice as the three approached the desk.

"Yeah," Riku answered, "We're here to see a girl named Hinata. Is she still here?"

"Yes she is!" the woman replied, "Right this way please." As the gang followed the receptionist down the hall she filled them in, "Miss Hinata is going to stay here until we find a family for her to stay with. Similar to how it was for you dear." She said carelessly, quickly tapping Kairi's shoulder. Sora put a hand on Kairi's other shoulder and she placed her hand over his. He always knew when she needed reassurance. As they approached Hinata's room the woman opened the door and told her she had visitors. Then she let them inside and closed the door behind them.

Hinata was standing by the window looking outside. Her long hair was pulled back into a pony tail and was wearing a loose fitted white t-shirt and khaki shorts. She looked completely normal except for an I.V cord in her wrist keeping her hydrated and pumping pain medication into her bloodstream. When she heard the door to her room close she turned to face her visitors. She was expecting to see Riku, due to his promise the day before; but was surprised to see his friends.

"Oh, hello," She said walking towards them, wheeling her I.V bag along with her, "I wasn't expecting so many visitors today."

As she walked towards them Riku noticed her brown eyes were red with lines under them. She looked as if she had been crying. Suddenly, all of his excitement and anticipation about talking to her melted away. He didn't want to bring up memories of her world if it was too painful for her. Despite everything he had wanted he asked, "Is this a bad time? I can leave you alone want."

Hinata slightly smiled before shaking her head, "No, that's alright. I would actually enjoy the company." She looked over at the two others with Riku. "Could I be introduced?"

"Oh yeah," Riku mentally face palmed since he completely forgot his friends were even with him, "These are my friends Sora and Kairi."

"Pleasure to meet all of you," Hinata greeted, and then looked at their outfits, "did all of you just come from school? Or do you just enjoy wearing very similar outfits?"

They each looked down at their clothes as they realized they were still wearing their uniforms. Each of them were wearing a white short-sleeve button up shirt with blue plaid ties; then the boys were wearing black pants, while Kairi wore a blue plaid mini skirt and long black socks. The three of them looked at each other and laughed awkwardly. "I guess we forgot to change before coming here," Kairi stated.

"It's no problem," Hinata put her hand up in reassurance; "I was just thinking they were interesting uniforms. Can't say I understand the tie with the girl uniform though," She laughed and Kairi joined it as well.

"You and me both," Kairi agreed.

Once their friendly laughter died down, Hinata walked over to her bed and sat on the edge of it, "So," she slowly started looking at the three of them, "what did you all want to talk about?"

"We're here because Riku told us you remember the world you came from," Sora started.

"Yes," Kairi continued, "and I don't know if any of the doctors have mentioned it to you, but I came here to Destiny Islands the same way you did."

Hinata nodded her head, "Someone had mentioned that there was another person on the island that came here the same way as me, but they didn't tell me who that person was. I'm glad I found out. At least I'm not alone anymore." She paused before continuing, "But yes, I do remember where I came from. The strange thing though, is that the more I try to think about it, the more I forget. I know that sounds crazy. Considering what happened to my home, I guess it makes sense." She looked away as she blinked back unwanted tears.

"Maybe you should write down what you remember now before you forget," Kairi suggested as she grabbed her journal out of her backpack, not realizing Hinata's emotion, "I don't remember anything about where I came from, or how I got here. We were hoping that if you remembered how you came to this island that might give us an idea of how I got here." She walked up to Hinata and handed her the journal and a pen.

Hinata sighed as she accepted the supplies. She looked up at Kairi and gave her a sad smile before she opened the clicked the pen saying, "Well then, better get started." Then she looked around the room and realized that there weren't enough chairs for all of them to sit down. "I can get one of the nurses to get some more chairs in here so all of you can sit."

"No worries," Riku assured her, "I can go ask one of the workers for you." As Riku left the room Sora gave him a quizzical look. He had been acting strange since they got to the hospital. But Sora shrugged it off, figuring that Riku was just really reveling in the fact that something exciting was finally happening in their lives; which wasn't far from the truth.

Once two more chairs were added to the room and the three friends sat down in them, Hinata opened the journal and began to write out loud, "I haven't been able to remember the name of the world I was born on. The title is on the tip of my tongue, but every time I try to say it nothing sounds right. I think I can at least tell you what it looks like though. It has an amazing castle and huge stone walls. It's beautiful! There weren't any large bodies of water, or oceans I think I heard they were called, there like the ones here. But back in my world, Aiko and I would spend a lot of time in the castle library."

"When I saw you yesterday," Riku interrupted, "Didn't you say Aiko was your sister?"

Hinata looked up from writing, "Yes, my younger sister; although, I don't think Akio her real name."

"What do you mean 'you don't think' that's her real name?" Kairi asked.

Hinata looked at the ceiling and closed her eyes trying to think, "Because I forgot her real one," She suddenly hit the bed in frustration, "How could I forget something as important as my sister's name? I realized as soon as I woke up that I couldn't remember it. The word Aiko comes to mind whenever I think of her, but I know that's not her true name."

"Why Aiko?" Riku inquired, wishing he could think of something encouraging to say. It was obvious Hinata was having a hard time talking about this.

"I'm not sure," Hinata admitted shaking her head, "I suppose because of its meaning, 'joyous child'. That's what she is."

"What happened to her?" Sora exclaimed, leaning forward.

"Well," Hinata looked back down at the journal on her lap. She picked up her pen and continued to write, "From what I could remember Aiko and I were walking through a garden by our house when the once clear sky suddenly turned dark and stormy. Strong winds started blowing as hard as a hurricane and objects were being gusted through the air. Then these small black imp like creatures started rising from the ground, with yellow eyes that seemed to glow. A huge black orb appeared in the sky then people and large chunks of land just started flying into it. I grabbed Aiko's hand and told her not to let go, no matter what. But then after that, I can't remember anything. I don't know if we both got thrown into the orb or if we somehow got separated."

The four of them were silent for a while. Taking in everything they had just talked about. Kairi, who had been sitting in the chair next to Hinata's bed, put her hand on Hinata's arm, "I'm sorry that happened to you."

Hinata closed the journal and handed it back to Kairi, "It's alright. Well actually it really isn't, but there isn't much I can do about it. I just wish I knew what happened to Aiko."

Riku stood up, "We'll help you find her!" he proclaimed, "We'll find a way to get off this island and go discover where she is." He looked at Sora and Kairi, "What do you say guys?"

Both Sora and Kairi exchanged glances. "What about our parents?" Sora questioned, "I want to explore what's out there too, but we can't just leave our families."

"They wouldn't understand." Riku countered, "I don't think anyone does."

Hinata got off of the bed and walked up to Riku, "Thank you Riku," she acknowledged, "I want to find Aiko; you have no idea how much. But I don't know how we would ever be able to get off this island. And Sora's right, I couldn't ask any of you to leave your families. Right now, I think I need to gain my footing here, before trying to leave again."

A knock on the door ended their conversation and the blonde receptionist poked her head in, "Hello Miss Hinata, there is a couple here who want to speak with you."

As Hinata nodded to let them into the room the receptionist opened the door all the way and allowed a middle age couple walked in. The man was tall with short brown hair and a beard covering his entire chin. And the woman by his side had similar hair to Kairi, a short bob style that seemed to be dyed red.

Kairi's eyes widened when she saw the couple walk in, "Mom? Dad?" she asked puzzled, "What are you guys doing here?"

Both of them smiled at Kairi and then up at Hinata "We heard that Hinata was in need of a family to stay with." Kairi's mom started, "So we thought we would offer her our home. That is, if you don't mind sweetie."

The two girls gasped and looked at each other. Kairi spoke before thinking through her words, "It will be like having a sister!" She stopped and looked up at Hinata, "Oh, I mean. I'm sorry."

"No worries, sister" Hinata winked and chuckled, "I've always wanted another sibling."

"Well then," Kairi's dad stepped forward and continued, "My name is Shin, and this is my wife, Hana."

Hinata walked up and offered to shake their hands, "Pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for taking me in."

Kairi, Sora, and Riku all exchanged looks of both excitement and bewilderment, it seemed that Hinata just became a big part of their lives.

***Author's Note- Geez, this chapter was a lot longer than my previous two. But I just wanted to say thank you to everyone reading this story! I have had it in my mind since I played Kingdom Hearts when it first came out. But it wasn't until recently that I finally gave in and decided to write it down. From this point on I am hoping to post a chapter once a week. Please feel free to leave reviews, I have not written in quite a long time, so constructive criticism is most indeed welcomed.***


	4. Full of Surprises

Chapter 4

A week passed and Hinata had been discharged from the hospital and moved in with Kairi's family. She was going to begin attending school the following Monday and the weekend had just started. The four of them were hanging out on the paopu tree as Hinata looked over a paper with the school elective choices. This time Hinata and Kairi were sitting on the tree. While Sora leaned against it and Riku stood on the sand in front practicing his sword swings.

Hinata held up the paper and studied the options on it, "Which electives should I choose? We never had these at my school."

Kairi looked over her shoulder to see the page as well, "Whatever you have interests in and want to learn more about. How about joining the drama club?" She asked pointing at the option.

"Ha! Yeah, acting and singing is not my thing," Hinata snickered, "Unless it's a comedy show about embarrassing acts. Then I might be the right person." She looked up at Riku, who was ignoring them and focusing on his swinging. "You know, Riku, since we are going to be in the same grade you could help me out a little bit."

Riku stopped when he heard his name and looked over at his friends, "How about you take sparring? That's what I'm taking."

"Yeah, I don't think Hinata's interested in that Riku." Kairi objected, "I think you and Sora could just stick with that."

"Actually," Hinata started, "I took a few sparring lessons back in my world. Maybe that would be interesting."

"You know," Kairi said, "Now that you say that, it's not too hard to imagine."

"So it's decided," Sora concluded, "Hey you might get to fight me or Riku sometime!"

"Yeah," Riku said, getting his sword ready for a swing, "What type of weapons do you like to fight with anyways?"

"How about you two just wait until class to find out," She teased.

The sun was almost completely under the horizon and the stars were beginning to cover the sky. Kairi yawned and stretched her arms above her head, "Well I think it's time we headed home you guys. It's getting late and I have to get started on that five page essay Mrs. Hamasaki gave us as homework this weekend." As she hopped off the tree she playfully poked Sora's chest, "Don't procrastinate like you usually do, lazy bum."

Sora waved her hand away and laughed, "Yeah, yeah I promise. What was it supposed to be about again?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed as she shook her head and began to walk on the wooden bridge back home. Hinata jumped off the tree and said goodnight to Sora and Riku before catching up to Kairi. The two girls chatted until they reached their home. Once inside, Hana greeted both of them.

"Hinata," Hana started, "Shin and I were wondering if you would like to go clothes shopping tomorrow. Since all you have are the clothes the hospital gave you."

A smile spread on Hinata's face, "Thank you! If it wouldn't be any trouble, I would love to. I appreciate the clothes the hospital provided, but they are pretty plain."

"Well then," Shin said as he walked into the living room where the girls were, "I will leave some munny on the kitchen table for you before I leave for work tomorrow morning. Feel free to spend it on things you need."

Hinata thanked both of them as her and Kairi walked to their shared room. Their home was a small two bedroom. It was one of many homes that lined down the hill. On either side other homes were attached and looked almost exactly the same except for the color of the wood that made up each building. The living room was attached to a small kitchen and a hallway that had both of the bedrooms attached. It wasn't much, but was enough that it filled their family needs.

The weekend sped by as Sora, Kairi, and Riku took Hinata shopping and continued to show her around the island. She took in everything and was the biggest tourist they had ever seen. At first Riku thought it was strange how excited she got over every new thing, but then realized that he would most likely be similar if he ever got off the island. Soon the new week was upon them and school was about to begin. The four friends walked up the hill together in their uniforms, telling Hinata all about the classes and the teachers she was about to meet.

"You'll do fine," Kairi assured her, "Just stick with Riku, he'll help you out."

"I will?" Riku asked, not sure he appreciated being volunteered like that. It's not like he wasn't planning on helping Hinata; but he wanted to decide that without being told. Once he noticed Kairi's icy glare for his comment he resigned, "I mean, of course I will."

As they reached the front of the school, the four friends said their farewells and went to their respective classes. Riku led Hinata towards their first class and was relieved to find that the teacher was having the two of them sitting next to each other. The last thing Hinata needed was to have her first time at school being surrounded by strangers. Each class went by and Hinata had to continually stand up by the teacher's request and introduce herself. She didn't see the point of doing that every class; she had been saying it so much that even she was getting tired of hearing it. But eventually lunch came around and she followed Riku to the outside cafeteria to sit with Sora and Kairi.

As they sat down Sora asked, "So, how has your first day been?"

Hinata groaned and laid her head on the table. Kairi and Sora exchanged looks, "That bad huh?" Kairi asked.

Hinata lifted her head off the table, "It's not the classes per say that are bad; it's the fact that the teachers keep having me introduce myself. I mean what am I supposed to say?" She looked past her friends and pretended that she was giving her intro, "Hi I'm Hinata. Yeah, I'm that girl that fell from the sky two weeks ago. Oh you don't remember? Just look at any newspaper around the island, I'm all over it." She leaned her head on her hand that was propped up by her elbow and continued, "Since everyone knows how I got here, none of the students are treating me normal. They all just keep staring at me. And having to keep rehashing my introduction isn't helping anything."

"Hey it's only your first day," Kairi encouraged, "Of course people are going to look at you. They would whether or not you fell from the sky. This isn't a big school, so new students can cause a lot of commotion."

"Plus," Riku added, "Sparring class is next. You can get out your frustration there."

"Oh yeah," Sora chimed in, "I've been wondering about what weapon you are going to use. Everyone here has their own choice."

Hinata sat up, obviously interested, "Really? What are some of their weapon choices?"

Riku turned and started pointing out people, "See that kid with the blue bandana over his orange hair?" She turned to see who he was pointing at and nodded her head before he continued, "That's Wakka, and he uses something called a Blitz Ball."

"Yeah," Sora continued rubbing the back of his neck, "It looks harmless but it really hurts if he hits you right."

Hinata nodded trying to retain the information. Riku continued to scan the students when he came up on a girl about Kairi's age, "That girl, with the long flipped out brown hair, her name is Selphie. Outside of class she fights with a normal jump-rope. But in class she uses long chained nun chucks."

"She really doesn't look like a fighter," Hinata noted.

"That's what I thought when I first met her," Sora told her, "But I learned quickly that looks don't mean everything."

The four of them laughed together and Riku returned to his food. "I'll tell you about the rest later," he assured her, "But I'm sure you will find out once class starts."

"Thank you," Hinata said, eating silently for a few minutes before asking, "So, who's the one to beat?"

Both Sora and Riku claimed it was them. That kicked off a competitive argument between the two of them. Kairi chuckled and looked at Hinata, "Now you've done it. These two are always competing against each other, trying to prove whose better."

Hinata raised her hands is surrender and laughed, "I did that completely unintentionally!"

Soon the first bell for class rang and the four friends cleared off their table and went to class. Hinata grabbed a white cotton vest and pants from her backpack that were given to her by the school when she signed up for the sparring elective. After going to the locker room and changing she followed Riku and Sora to the fighting mat where class was going to start. Only about a hand full of people were there. Hinata guessed about fifteen from scanning the room. The room was full of chatter and commotion as they waited for their teacher to enter. Looking around the room Hinata could see weapons racks that lined across the wall. There was a large fighting mat in the center surrounded by large pillows, that she figured was where she would sit to watch the matches. She wished the class was held outside, as a musky stuffy smell filled her senses.

Hinata walked up to one of the weapons racks and began analyzing the objects. All of the weapons were dulled to help prevent injury when the students fought. There were so many different types and she gave attention to each one. She hadn't told her new friends, since she didn't want to scare them off, that she had spent a lot of her time in her world studying weapons and their form. Something her grandmother often scolded her for; claiming that it was unladylike to be so interested in weapons and warfare. But right now she didn't care what her grandmother had to say about it, given that she was nowhere to be seen.

As Hinata continued looking a certain weapon caught her eye and her breath, twin dao swords. A 28 inch long single edged blade was straight on one side but then curved beautifully on the other. The guard that separated the blade from the hilt was flat on one side so the two swords could be put together. The canted wooden hilt had a red braided cord wrapped around it and was curved the opposite way of the blade, as to create a better grip for the holder. Hinata placed a sword in each hand. These were her weapon of choice back where she came from. Finally something was feeling familiar to her. Instinctively she began a routine she had practiced hundreds of times back home. She placed one sword on either shoulder and slightly bent her knees. Within an instant she began swinging the swords around as if they were an extension of her. All of the surrounding noise went silent and Hinata thought she was drowning it out. She flowed with the blades as if she was dancing, swinging one from behind her head and the other in her hand around her waist. Then slicing the one overhead in front and matching the flow of the other as she struck to her left. Spinning around on one leg and thrusting both swords to her side as she lunged one leg besides her bending her knee while keeping the other one straight. Once finished, Hinata stood up straight and made the swords face each other, making them clasp together to look like one weapon.

That's when she realized that the room was completely silent. She looked up from the swords and felt her cheeks flush bright red when she saw every student staring at her. Smiling rather uneasily she quickly put the swords back on the rack and scurried over to Riku and Sora. Once by their side Sora leaned over and whispered, "Only taken a few lessons?" Referring to her comment she made when they were trying to decide which elective she should take.

She grunted and replied, "Well I had to surprise you guys somehow didn't I?"

Riku quietly laughed and replied, "That's basically all you ever do."

Hinata shrugged and nodded her head; making the three of them laugh among themselves before Mr. Zhoa, their sparring teacher came in. At first Hinata was floored by the fact that her and Riku's history professor was also their sparring teacher, but once she considered his muscular appearance it made more sense.

"Welcome to sparring class," Mr. Zhoa said as he entered the room looking right at Hinata. "Since this is your first day I want you to sit and watch the today."

Hinata looked disappointed but nodded her head and went to one of the pillows to sit down.

"Okay everyone," Mr. Zhoa looked over the entire group of students, "You know how this works, since it's a Monday I want each of you to choose a sparring partner and your weapon to practice! Remember the rules, no striking the face and control the force of your swings."

Sora and Riku chose each other as partners as they usually did; trying to prove which one was a better fighter. Hinata decided to watch them fight, to see if she could decide. Riku chose to fight with a single-handed double edged sword, while Sora chose a two handed long sword. As they fought, Hinata noted that both seemed to be equal when it came to technique and skill. They would switch off winning every round. Sora had a fantastic strike, where he would plunge forward with his longsword, putting Riku potentially off balance so he could pull off a three hit combo. Then if Riku would fall on his back, he would spring back up by pushing his arms off the ground, being able to kick Sora back. At that point, if Sora was stunned, he would jump towards him spinning his sword completely around him. Hinata was completely enraptured watching them. Yet she was also taking mental notes on things to watch out for when she was going to battle them. She took time to watch the other students as well, but Sora and Riku were the most intriguing to watch by far.

After about an hour of practice, Mr. Zhoa blew a whistle and ended class. Everyone put away their gear and changed back into the school uniform before heading to the next class. The next two classes went by quickly for Hinata as all she could think about was the sparring. She couldn't wait to be able to participate tomorrow and to hold the dao swords in her hands again.

Soon school was officially let out for the day and Riku and Hinata walked outside to wait for Sora and Kairi. Once the two of them were outside Hinata admired the beautiful view.

"This is so beautiful!" Hinata exclaimed, "I don't think I could ever get used to seeing this sight every day."

Riku rolled his eyes at her excitement, "You would be surprised. Give it a couple weeks; it's just another reminder of how small this place is."

Surprised by his reaction, Hinata turned to look at Riku, "You're really tired of being on this island aren't you?"

Crossing his arms he replied, "This place is just so boring. I have been training with fighting since I was eight years old, and for what? Nothing is ever going to happen here that would need me to fight."

"You should be glad that there isn't!" Hinata pointed out, "Fighting isn't as glorious as you may think."

"That's weird coming from you," Riku observed, "With the way you were acting with those swords in class, I thought you would enjoy a good fight."

Hinata sighed and put her hands on her hips, "I'll admit that I admire the art of swordplay and the history of warfare. But when I learned how to fight my teacher told me a lot of war stories that really changed the way I viewed it."

Riku sensed that there was more behind her distaste for battle but decided that it wasn't the right time to ask about it. Instead the two of them stood in silence until Sora and Kairi came out of the school and joined them. Then the four of them spent the rest of the day together, talking about their day and what was to come.

***Author's Note- I wanted to share something silly with all of you. My husband was editing my story as I was making dinner last night, and when I came back to read over his corrections he added a nice little tid-bit for me. I don't know if you all will appreciate it like I did, but I thought it was hilarious:

"Okay everyone," Mr. Zhao looked over the entire group of students, "You know how this works, since it's a Monday I want each of you to choose a sparring partner and your weapon and practice! Remember, today is rocket day! Each of you grab a launcher, and do your best not to get blown to bits! Anyone who explodes gets an F!"

Riku nodded, he was well familiar with rocket day and had been patiently awaiting its arrival. Today, Sora was getting an F.

Thanks for reading! ***


	5. Finally Something

Chapter 5

The following Monday arrived and Hinata couldn't wait for Sparring class to begin. She had finally been able to participate in the class last week, but besides Mondays, Mr. Zhoa had the students practicing certain routines with different types of weapons. Not like the first day Hinata was observing, where everyone picked their own weapons and fought with other students. But today she was finally going to be able to engage in a real match. Sora and Riku had agreed to let one of them be Hinata's sparring partner for the day. They wanted to see how good she really was at fighting.

During the school lunch Hinata ate her food quickly without even talking to her friends. To her lunch was just serving as another hour she had to wait through to get to fight with those dao swords again. Back in her world, her family always worried about her obsession with weapons. But as she had talked to Riku about a week before, she ironically did not like the act of violence. To her there was a thin line between admiring the art of combat and using it to bring harm to others. If worse came to worse she would raise her weapon for battle, but she hoped her life would never bring her to that… again.

As soon as the first class bell rang Hinata sprang up and rushed to change into her sparring clothes. She was the first one to the class room and was pacing when Sora and Riku entered the room. Riku eyed her with a confused look, "You know, I like this class a lot too, but you are sort of taking it to a new level."

Sora nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, like a weird new level."

Hinata shot them an undeserved glare, and then realized they didn't need that attitude. She sighed and stopped her pacing before explaining, "You're right, I'm sorry. I know it's just a class. But I can't wait to be able to spar again. It's like I have this pent up energy that I haven't been able to get rid of. I thought that last week's classes would have helped, but then all we did was do routines with random weapons."

Sora walked up and patted Hinata on the back, "No worries! I think you will get a lot of energy out by fighting today!"

Hinata smiled over at Sora and then looked at Riku, "So which one you am I going to fight today?"

"I think you should fight Riku," Sora claimed, "I mean, he's the reason you're here right?"

Riku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I don't think that qualifies as a reason why I should fight her. But if she's alright with fighting me, why not?"

The three of them agreed on that and shortly after Mr. Zhoa walked into the classroom and began class. Hinata grabbed the twin dao blades and Riku grabbed his single-handed sword. They moved to a space where they would be able to move freely when they fought.

As they got into position Hinata warned, "Now don't go easy on me since I'm a girl."

Riku just scoffed and replied, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Hinata had a blade in each hand and held both behind her back waiting for Riku to make the first move. She wasn't disappointed when he stepped forward and jabbed his sword toward her chest. Whipping the left sword in front she blocked his sword and spun around and attempted to slice at his legs to catch him off balance. Riku jumped over the blade and swung his sword over his head to strike it down on Hinata when he landed. As the blade came down Hinata somersaulted out of the sword's reach, sprung to her feet and swung both blades in front of her in an attempt to catch Riku off guard. Instead Riku did a back hand spring away from her to avoid any more of her attacks. Hinata was even better than he had anticipated; he would have to change his strategy. He began circling her, forcing her to turn constantly, putting her more on the defensive but also letting surprise be on his side when he was going to strike. Then without warning he leaped towards her spinning his sword completely around him. Hinata put her blades up to block but the force of the blow was too great and caused her to fall back. Riku took that opportunity of her weakness, grabbed her wrist, and swung her over his shoulder onto the mat. Hinata felt her breath leave her chest as her back landed hard against the floor. When she looked up she could see Riku pointing his sword at her. Groaning she closed her eyes and lightly hit her head on the mat.

Riku chuckled as he moved his sword and knelt down by Hinata, "Oh come on, don't be a sore loser."

She opened one eye to look at him, "Funny coming from the most competitive guy I know."

Ignoring her comment, he continued "You know, you're pretty good. Just need to work on being able to compromise when your opponent changes tactics."

Hinata felt her face flush as he gave her the criticism. Even though she knew she could always improve, hearing about her flaws with fighting seemed to always hit a nerve. Shaking her head she countered, "You just caught me off guard. Won't be like that next time."

Riku smiled at her with a knowing look. He knew exactly how she was feeling. Sighing, he stood up and offered, "Well there is still about half the class left. Want to go for another round?"

She nodded as Riku offered to help her up. The rest of the rounds until class ended went similarly to how the first fight went. Hinata would get close to overpowering Riku, but as soon as he would change his tactics, he would take her down. The matches were both humiliating and exhilarating for Hinata. It had seemed like ages since she had last sparred with someone competent. Back home she was the best in her class. No one except her teacher could take her down. Having Riku continually beat her was frustrating, but also was beginning to make her push herself. All too soon the bell rang for class to end, both Hinata and Riku were out of breath. Hinata grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off her face. It had been a long time since she had to fight that hard.

The rest of the week went by quickly and soon Friday came. A bell rang out letting everyone out of school for the weekend. The sky was not clear as it usually was, dark gloomy clouds loomed overhead. Rain was threatening to make an appearance; so many students were rushing home. Hinata looked up at the sky as she walked with her three friends down the hill. She hadn't seen clouds like this since the day she was taken from her home. The gloominess from the clouds was beginning to rub off on her, and she didn't even notice when Kairi began talking to her.

"Can you believe that Hinata?" Kairi asked, causing Hinata to look back at her friends.

Hinata put a hand on her forehead trying to think, "I am so sorry Kairi, I didn't hear a word any of you said."

Usually Kairi would get frustrated when people didn't listen to her speak; but not having Hinata listen was rather uncharacteristic. Instead she gave in and decided to retell the conversation. She looked over at Sora and playfully shoved his shoulder, "Numbskull here forgot to do his science project. A project due on Monday I might add!"

Sora put his hands behind his head as he laughed, "Yeah, well I have had more important things to do!"

"Oh really?" It was Riku's turn to pry, "What was so important that you couldn't even put together a poster?" He couldn't pass up on a chance to tease Sora.

"You know, stuff." Sora grated out, trying to come up with a nonexistent excuse.

Kairi groaned and stopped in her tracks, putting her hands on her hips, "I don't know what I am going to do with you! Okay, maybe I can come over to your house and help you put together something this weekend." She walked in front of Sora and leaned forward, "But I'm not going to do all of the work!"

Sora took his hands down from behind his head and gave Kairi a sweet smile, "Thanks Kairi, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Most likely be failing school for one thing," Hinata pointed out bluntly. When she noticed the look from Sora she held up her hands, "Hey I'm just saying! Kairi helps you out of situations you got yourself into. You are going to have to help her out sometime too."

"You're right," he admitted before looking back at Kairi, "I promise to be there for you whenever you need me!"

Kairi smiled, "You already are Sora." She looked at Riku and Hinata, "Sora and I are going to have to work on his science project this weekend so we won't be able to spend time at the paopu tree like usual."

"We won't?" Sora complained, but when he saw the look everyone gave him he resigned, "Okay Kairi, you win, let's get back to my house to start working."

With that Kairi and Sora walked away to work on his project, leaving the two others alone. Hinata looked up at the sky again before asking, "Since it's going to be stormy, do you think we should call it a night?"

Riku looked up as well, he wanted to say no but a light drizzle was starting to fall, "I guess so," He replied, "But I'll walk you home at least. That way we can still somewhat hang out."

Hinata agreed and they began walking, "You can hang out at my house, Shin and Hana always complain that we never bring you and Sora over for dinner."

He laughed before answering, "Yeah maybe." He looked over at Hinata studying her; she was the most interesting person he had ever met. In a matter of a month she had gone from a complete stranger to one of his best friends. That just didn't happen to him. He grew up with Sora, but when Kairi arrived it took him a while to warm up to her. Even though he felt like Hinata was a close friend, he really didn't know much about her. There was so much about her world she hadn't told him. He hadn't wanted to pry, but now he figured he could at least ask.

Clearing his throat before speaking Riku asked, "So I have been meaning to ask you, what your world was like. I mean, I know you told us a little bit, but I was wondering if you remembered anything else."

"Sure," Hinata answered, "Anything specific you want to know?"

Riku crossed his arms, "Nothing specific, just whatever you think is interesting."

"Well then," she started, "There was this really large stone courtyard that was surrounded by shops. Aiko loved it when I would take her to them. She especially loved the candy store." She giggled before continuing, "There was this duck there that I always liked to talk to, trying to come up with these crazy inventions."

He stopped and opened his eyes wide, "Woah, a duck? Please don't tell me it talked."

Hinata looked back at Riku with a quizzical look, "Of course he did. How could he make the inventions if he didn't talk?"

Riku face palmed and after a moment began to laugh, "Don't tell Sora or Kairi about the duck okay?"

She just shrugged her shoulders and nodded before continuing, "Anyways, sometimes on the weekends my grandmother would take Aiko and I to the top of the large stone wall I told you about and we could see what was beyond the town. It wasn't anything like here with the ocean horizon. But instead it was a large empty space. There were cliffs and mountains but no plant life or animals. It was oddly beautiful."

"Your grandmother?" Riku asked, "What is she like?"

Hinata laughed, "It really depends on who you talk to. She loved Aiko; I mean she spoiled her like nothing else. But for me, she loved me sure, but I don't think she liked that I was into weapons. There were many times she would try to tell me it was unladylike to like fighting and that I should be more like Aiko." She looked up at the sky as the rain drops hit her face, "I loved her though, and she was good to my family and took care of us."

"I don't think you have ever mentioned your parents," Riku pried, "What are they like?"

She gasped in surprise at his question; she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about her parents yet. But it had been a month since she got here and talking about it may actually help her. Sighing, she internally resigned and decided to talk, "My mother was a sweet person, always trying to smile. She was under a lot of stress, but tried her best not to show that to me or Aiko."

"What about your dad?" Riku inquired further.

Hinata smiled sadly, "I honestly didn't know him very well. He worked in the castle and was always gone. When he would come home once every few days, he usually had small gifts for me and my sister. And since he worked there, we could freely roam the library and the castle courtyard. I would ask my mom about him a lot, asking what he was like. She told me that before he got the job at the castle he was always restless. Always wanting something more, and that the job he got was supposedly the more he was looking for."

They walked in silence for a couple minutes, reaching Hinata's home. Before opening the door the two of them stood outside. Then Riku spoke up, "You keep talking about your family in past tense, like they aren't here anymore."

Riku's words stung, Hinata was sure he didn't realized how hard this was for her. She looked away from him trying to avoid eye contact, "I don't want to give myself any false hope. When my world went into chaos people were being flung through the air and being attacked by those black things I told you about. There isn't much of a chance that any of my family made it through that." As she finished her words she could feel fresh tears joining the rain that was already on her face.

Noticing her pain Riku reached over and grabbed her hand, "You survived, didn't you?" He comforted, "And you still believe that Aiko made it. Why not believe your parents did too?"

Hinata was surprised by Riku's hand, but didn't pull away, "Aiko was with me when it happened. My parents… well they were someplace else." When she noticed Riku eyeing her like he thought she wasn't telling the whole story, she defended, "Look, I think we should leave it. I'm not ready to talk about everything yet, Riku. I'm sorry."

Without thinking Riku ran his thumb comfortingly over Hinata's wrist as he held her hand. He had surprised himself by grabbing it, but he could tell that she needed some sort of security. The two of them stood in silence for a while until the rain began to fall harder than before. Reluctantly the two let go of each other's hand and Hinata turned to unlock the front door.

Without turning to look at him Hinata offered, "You are welcome to come inside and hang out until the rain stops."

Riku shook his head, "Thank you but I really should get home. The rain will probably go on all night anyways, better to get home before it gets too bad." He looked at his feet as he lightly kicked the ground. There wasn't anything interesting for him to do at his own house, but he was beginning to feel like Hinata needed to be alone.

Hinata sounded slightly disappointed, "Oh, well alright. I will see you later I guess."

As she turned the doorknob to get inside, Riku blurted out, "Do you want to hang out tomorrow?" Hinata stopped and turned around to look at him as he continued, "I mean, since Sora and Kairi will be busy, I thought maybe we could spend time together instead. Maybe we could practice sparring and I could help you with your form or something."

A smile spread on Hinata's face, "Sure, that sounds nice." She then turned to open the door, "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Riku."

"Good night," Riku answered before she closed the door. He turned to walk home and began thinking over his conversation with Hinata and wondered what tomorrow was going to bring.

*** Author's Note: Sorry for the wait on this chapter! I had some company over at my house and was busy. Anyways, thank you everyone for reading and please feel free to leave me comments of what you thought. Those really encourage me to keep writing! ***


	6. Day Together

Chapter 6

The sun was rising and the rain from the night before was drying up. Riku readjusted his backpack full of wooden swords as he walked to Hinata's house so they could spend time together. He couldn't believe he asked her to hang out with him one on one. The more he went over their conversation the night before, the more it sounded like he had asked her out. What's worse is that he grabbed her hand and even caressed it! He had no idea what came over him to cause him to do that. But the weird thing was that he didn't regret doing it. Hinata was having a lot of trouble the night before and she had confided in him. The more time he spent with her the more he was drawn to her. He had even found himself longing for her touch after she had gone inside her home.

He shook his head trying to get those thoughts out of his mind. The two of them had only known each other for a month, there was no way he had feelings for her. It was probably just the fact that she was from another world and he was excited to learn from her. Those feelings he was worried about were nothing more than curiosity about her old life. Riku smiled, as if trying to reassure himself that was the case. Something in his gut told him he was wrong but he ignored it completely.

Soon Riku came to Hinata's house and knocked on the door. For some reason his heart was racing as he heard the door open. Hinata stood in the doorway rubbing her eyes; Riku was obviously there a lot earlier than she thought he would be. It seemed like she was still wearing her pajamas, a short sleeve green shirt and yellow pants with pictures of cartoony sheep scattered across them.

Yawning she let him inside, "Hey Riku, a little early don't you think? Just let me get some coffee to wake myself up and change. Then we can get going."

Making a mental note not to mention her pajamas, he walked inside the home and realized that Hana and Shin weren't in the living room. Calling towards the kitchen where Hinata was making her morning brew he said, "Where are Shin and Hana?"

"Shin has work and Hana went over out with your mom actually." Hinata replied giving another big yawn.

"She's with my mom?" Riku replied surprised, "I had no idea my mom was out of the house."

"She didn't tell you?" Hinata questioned as she walked back into the living room with a steaming cup, "The two of them have been planning to meet for a couple days now."

Riku put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair, "Yeah, well I don't exactly have the best relationship with my family. We don't really talk much."

Hinata sat down on a couch and took a sip of her coffee, "That must explain why leaving your family behind to explore doesn't seem to bother you." She pondered aloud.

He shrugged as he put his back pack on the floor and sat in a seat across from her, "So I was thinking we could practice sparring today." He said, changing the subject. "I could help you with those dao swords if you would like."

Hinata looked up from her drink surprised, "You know how to fight with them? I thought the one handed sword was your thing."

Riku got a smug look on his face, "Hey, I am the best in class, in fact probably on this whole island! I wouldn't be if I didn't know how to work with different types of weapons."

Shaking her head Hinata chuckled, "I must say I'm impressed. Not by your pride though, that can use some work."

He scoffed and replied, "Yeah, yeah, you say that now. But when I beat your sorry butt with your own weapon of choice you'll be singing a different tune."

Hinata nearly choked on her drink being caught off guard at Riku's challenge, "Ha! You wish!"

Riku defended, "I'm serious! I know my way around any weapon. I just prefer one handed. Next time we fight I'll use those swords and show you up!"

"Look pretty boy, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but dao swords are my specialty. No one back in my world could even dream of beating me with them!" Hinata argued, slamming her mug onto the coffee table in front of her.

A smirk spread across Riku's face, for some reason he was really enjoying getting Hinata riled up, "Look who's being prideful now." He said as he gestured towards her.

Hinata groaned as she realized what he was doing, "You are such a tease Riku," She gave up and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "It's too early for this."

Riku looked over at a clock that was hanging over the front door, "What do you mean? It's 8:30am, school would already be in session on a week day."

"But it's not a week day, it's Saturday," Hinata groaned again as she stood up with her mug and went to rinse it off in the sink, "I should be sleeping right now!"

"Well I can leave if you want me to," Riku remarked, beginning to be bothered by her apparent laziness.

Hinata walked back into the living room, "No it's fine. I just wanted to complain." She laughed at herself before turning to walk down the hall. "Let me get out of my PJs and then we can finally get going."

Riku remained in the chair and waited for her to change. He didn't know why he had insisted on picking her up so early in the day. But despite the time, he was excited to spar with her again. Fighting with her that past Monday had been exhilarating for him. When he usually fought against Sora he knew what to expect, but against Hinata it was completely new. She had different tactics and challenged him. Even though he was able to beat her at every round, she still made him think outside the box when it came to techniques. He began to think over their fights together when Hinata came back into the living room. Riku looked up at her and examined her new clothes. Her hair was back in a high pony tail like usual. She wore a high necked gray-blue vest that was cropped right under her chest. Under the vest she wore a dark yellow shirt with sleeves that went off her shoulders and cut off above her elbows. Hinata bent down and tied her tall brown boots with her hands that had fingerless brown gloves. Standing up, she brushed off any dust that was on her tan pants before looking up at Riku.

"Okay, ready to go?" she asked.

Riku stood up and grabbed his backpack off the floor, "Sure thing."

The two of them left the house and began to walk towards their paopu tree spot, talking and enjoying each other's company. Once they arrived, Riku placed his backpack on the tree's bending trunk and opened it to show Hinata the swords he brought.

"Mr. Zhao won't let us take the real weapons out of the school building," Riku explained, "But he does let us take wooden replicas of them to practice." He took out two wooden dao swords that looked exactly like the ones Hinata used back in class, "I have replicas of almost every weapon in that sparring room. That's how I know how to use them all."

Hinata examined the swords Riku handed her, "Wow," she remarked, "You weren't kidding when you said you had good experience with every weapon."

Riku laughed as he grabbed two more wooden dao swords from his bag, "Did you really think I was lying?"

She shook her head, "I figured you just really paid attention in class when Mr. Zhao taught us routines with different weapons. I didn't think you actually practiced with every type outside of class."

He swung each sword in his hand getting used to the feel of them, it had been a while since he fought with these, but he wasn't about to tell Hinata that. Walking away from the tree to the far side of the small island of sand he taunted, "Do you want to talk all day or start fighting?"

Hinata clenched her hands around the hilts of the blades, "Oh it is on!" She claimed as she walked towards the opposite end of the island and got in starting position.

Holding the two swords behind her back Hinata examined Riku, waiting to see how he handled the two blades. He held one on either side of him both diagonally pointed down. The two waited for the other to strike first. When suddenly, they both rushed and clashed their swords together. Back and forth they exchanged hits and blocks, both holding their own against the other. A sudden strike to the shoulder caused Hinata to stumble backwards and lower her defenses for a moment. It seemed that Riku was about to overtake her when Hinata regained herself, blocked him with one sword and struck his knee with her other. He fell back and hopped on one foot, trying to get through the pain of the blow. Hinata rolled the shoulder Riku had hit, which happened to be the arm she blocked with. With her defenses weakened, she would have to find a way to keep Riku from coming on full force. She noticed the pained look on his face, it seemed that she gave a harder blow to his leg than she realized. Making good use of her feet, she began to dance around him, making him work to deliver any attacks. The predicament Riku was in reminded him of Hinata on their first spar together. He smiled as he realized her plan and waited for Hinata to strike. She didn't disappoint when she lunged towards him. He jumped backwards to be out of range and got into a defensive position. His injured leg protested by sending pained spasms through his body, but he ignored them. He wasn't about to lose to an injured leg.

"Are you going to start fighting soon?" he goaded, "Or are you giving up already?"

"You kidding me?" Hinata retorted, "I was just thinking the same thing about you!"

The two clashed back together, trying to outsmart the other. Riku's leg screamed with pain, causing his focus to slip whenever he had to put pressure on it. Hinata took advantage of his moment of weakness and pushed him back with so much force it caused him to lose his footing. He tumbled to the sand and Hinata got on top of him. She held down his arms with her knees and held her swords across his neck.

Hinata laughed and said, "What was that you said earlier with beating me with my own weapon?"

Riku felt his face burn red as he looked up at her and responded annoyed, "Okay fine, you win. Could you give me back my arms please?"

She lifted off of him and helped him up. He dusted the sand off himself and grumbled under his breath. Noticing his apparent irritability, Hinata leaned her elbow on his shoulder and provoked, "Oh come now, don't be a sore loser!"

He shot her a glare and shoved her off of him. A giggle broke out from Hinata, she couldn't contain herself. Seeing Riku so bothered from losing was a prize within itself. After a few seconds of laughs, Hinata composed herself.

She walked over to Riku, who was putting his swords back in his backpack. Leaning against the tree so he could see her she comforted, "Hey look, don't feel too embarrassed. Dao swords are the weapons I used to train with three to four hours a day and you were able to hold your own against me. It wasn't easy taking you down."

Closing his eyes, Riku took a deep breath. He knew he was taking a risk trying to beat her at her own game. Even though he hated losing, this round was something he had to accept. Well, maybe not. He opened his eyes and looked over at Hinata, "Hey you're right. I mean, taking me down is no simple task. Well it wouldn't be if I didn't go easy on you." Putting his hand on her shoulder he continued, "But good job anyways. You can brag to others how you took me down. Only, I let you do it, so I don't think it really counts."

With that he gave her a smug look, grabbed his backpack, and began to walk away. The face he saw on Hinata was priceless and he struggled to keep a smile hidden. Hinata's mouth was gaped open as she seemed lost for words. She couldn't believe it; even after she had finally beaten him, he still held on to his cockiness. Whipping around to face Riku's back as he walked away she called out, "Hey! You know, after you beat me in sparring class, I accepted that I tried my best even though I lost. I didn't come up with this bogus excuse!"

Riku stopped in his tracks and bent over laughing, he couldn't contain himself. He didn't realize how entertaining it would be to intentionally irk Hinata. He heard her let out another groan, something she seemed to be doing a lot today, as she realized Riku was teasing her again.

Hinata rolled her eyes, "Remind me why I am hanging out with you?" she asked.

Still recovering from his laughing fit, Riku walked to Hinata and put his arm around her, "Oh come on, admit it. You like spending time with me."

He was surprised to see a slight blush appear on her cheeks as she flustered, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Suddenly Riku was keenly aware of his arm around Hinata and immediately removed it. The two stood there awkwardly for a moment trying to decide what to do. Riku rubbed the back of neck as he looked at the large hill on the island and said, "Hey, maybe Sora and Kairi are free for lunch."

Hinata simply nodded and agreed. Then the two of them began to walk towards Sora's home.

*** Author's Note: Hi everyone! I am hoping to start going into the first Kingdom Hearts game around chapter 10 (might be a chapter or 2 later), so thank you for being patient! I want to make sure there is enough character build up for Hinata. Also, don't think I have forgotten about Kairi's "research", I will be getting into that next chapter. Thank you everyone for reading! And please feel free to leave comments or reviews. I need all the encouragement and advice as I can get! ***


	7. More Research

Chapter 7

Sora let out a large yawn as he opened his front door to let Kairi inside. She had stayed late the night before to help him with his science project and now she was back early today. Once she walked inside and Sora closed the door she giggled at his apparent tiredness. "Good morning Sleepyhead." She greeted.

"You and your nicknames," Sora replied, "I think I could probably count on my hands how many times you have called me by my actual name."

"It's more fun that way," Kairi explained, as she took off her backpack she had been carrying and unzipped it to get supplies out, "Are you ready to continue working on your project?"

Rubbing his eyes and stretching Sora agreed, "Yeah, okay. Thankfully we don't have much left to do; just the report about my project."

Kairi nodded as she continued to rummage through her backpack, finding her green journal she had previously been using for her research. Opening it she saw the entries from Hinata when they had first met her in the hospital. Since there was so much happening with Hinata moving in and getting her settled, the research had been put on the back burner. But maybe it was about time to continue. Looking up from the journal she saw Sora studying her, obviously already knowing what she was thinking about. He knelt down by her saying, "If you think you're ready to continue. Let's do it."

Smiling at him Kairi closed the journal, "How did you know?"

"You're one of my best friends Kairi," Sora replied, "Anything you care about is important to me." Standing up he continued, "After we finish the report let's start on that research." He gave her a big grin.

Kairi agreed as she put back her journal and grabbed a large white folder filled with paper and pens so they could write his work. After a few hours of writing and talking between the two, they were burnt out and decided to take a break.

"What do you think about eating something before we finish?" Sora offered leaning back in the chair he was sitting in and putting his hands behind his head.

Hearing her stomach give a small hungry growl she said, "I think that sounds great. Maybe we could find Hinata and Riku and eat with them."

The two agreed and left the house to find Riku and Hinata. They walked along a long dirt path down the hill towards their hang out spot to see if their friends were over there. Once the shore line was in sight, Kairi spotted them. Riku and Hinata were walking away from the beach, but were oddly not next to each other. In fact to Kairi they looked rather awkward. Taking a mental note to ask Hinata about it later she pointed them out to Sora and they began to head to them. Sora began to run towards them and waved his hands as he called out to them to get their attention. The awkwardness melted away as Riku and Hinata spotted the two of them.

"Glad we found you!" Kairi greeted as she approached them, "Want to eat lunch with us?"

Hinata laughed, "We were actually looking to ask you the same question! Where do you want to eat?"

Kairi giggled in return, "How about that new café by the market?"

They agreed and the two girls began walking together ahead of the boys, enjoying each other's company. Once they the girls were out of ear shot Sora leaned on Riku, "So what were you two up to?"

Riku pushed Sora's arm off of him, "Nothing much, just sparring."

Sora shrugged as he realized that Riku wasn't going to give him any info, so he just decided to let it go and they walked behind the girls to the café. Hinata glanced over her shoulder at Riku. It was much better to have Kairi and Sora there, and wasn't as uncomfortable. Kairi nudged her shoulder and inquired, "So are you going to fill me in?"

Hinata laughed under her breath trying to figure what there was to share. She wasn't sure what was going on. She got along really well with Riku; they were friends and neither of them wanted more. She'd begun to question their relationship when he had grabbed her hand the night before; knowing he had done it out of comfort, but still couldn't get it out of her mind. This morning when Riku came to her house, she had pushed those thoughts away, but they came bubbling up once he put his arm around her. She felt Kairi nudge her again, realizing that she hadn't said anything to answer her question.

She flustered, "I don't really know what to tell you; or where to begin for that matter."

Kairi gave her a confused look, "What did you two get into a fight?"

Hinata laughed, "No, nothing like that. It's just, after you and Sora left last night the two of us started talking and stuff happened."

When she didn't continue Kairi groaned, "Oh come on Hinata! You have to give me more than that."

Blushing, she fumbled as she tried to get the words out. She was so graceful on the sparring mat, but in a slightly uncomfortable social situation and she would freeze up. Mentally she berated herself for making a big deal out of something that was probably nothing. Finally, she sighed and answered, "I was telling him about something emotional last night and he grabbed my hand to comfort me then asked me to spend time with him today."

"Riku did that?" Kairi replied surprised, it was uncharacteristic of Riku to be physical with anyone, let alone comforting. He often had a wall up when it came to showing others emotion, something she had noticed him take down in front of Hinata when they first met her. Maybe there was more to this. Being curious for more information she continued, "Okay, but that doesn't explain why you two are acting weird. Has it been like that all day?"

"No, we were actually great this morning." Hinata replied shaking her head and then explaining the events that transpired earlier that day.

Kairi smiled to herself having a pretty good idea what was going on. However, it seemed that both Hinata and Riku were oblivious to it. She sighed and decided it would probably be best to let the two of them to figure it out on their own, "Well, you should talk to him about it. Let him know how you feel."

"That's just the thing though," Hinata countered, "I don't know how I feel."

"You'll figure it out," Kairi assured her.

As they finished their conversation they came up on the café. It was a small, white, square building surrounded by a beautiful garden with different colored daisies, around the aptly named Daisy's Café. A black metal fence with an intricate design came out of the left side of the building surrounding a small outside eating area. The four friends walked inside and were seated at a small square table outdoors per their request. Riku and Hinata sat across from each other and tried to avoid eye contact the entire meal. They both knew they were making a big deal out of something so small, but neither of them was good with these types of situations.

Both Kairi and Sora noticed their friend's behavior and tried to figure out what they should say. Eventually Kairi spoke up, "So I think it's about time we show Hinata our secret spot."

Hinata eyes lit up with curiosity, "You guys have a secret spot?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah, Riku and I found it when we were kids. It's behind the waterfall by the paopu tree."

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"It's nothing special," Riku answered.

"Don't listen to him," Kairi defended, "I think Riku should show you after lunch. I would, but Sora and I have things to do."

"I don't think so," Riku waved his hand in dismissal.

"Oh, come on Riku!" Hinata urged, seeing a new place seemed rather exciting to her, and it would be nice to get a chance to talk to Riku about earlier. "I actually would really like to see it."

Realizing her excitement he gave in, "Alright, fine, we will go after lunch. Don't expect anything amazing though."

The friends finished their lunch and began to get ready to go their separate ways. While Sora and Kairi waved goodbye to their friends and walked back towards Sora's house, Riku and Hinata headed off to the secret place.

Within the next few hours Sora and Kairi worked hard and finished the report. Sora leaned back in his chair and sighed with relief, "Finally we finished it! I can't believe how much work that took."

Kairi laughed as she read over his paper, "Yeah, well maybe you won't forget to do your homework next time. That way you can take your time doing it."

He was just about to reply when he heard his mom call "Sora, dinner's ready!"

"Oh man, dinner already?" Sora exclaimed.

"I should probably get back home." Kairi said as she packed her backpack.

As she put the backpack on her shoulders, Sora walked her to the front door and opened it for her. Before she left he said, "We can continue your research tomorrow morning."

Kairi smiled, "Sure! I was actually thinking of talking to my parents tonight about it."

Sora gave her a quizzical look, "I thought you said they already told you everything they knew."

"Actually, every time I ask them they give me the same story every person does. I fell from the sky and no one knew where I came from. That's basically all I know, and I just have a feeling that they haven't told me everything."

"I can come with you if you want." Sora offered.

"Thank you, but I think I should do this myself."

And with that she said goodbye and made her way home. Once she entered her front door, Hana was there to greet her, "Welcome home sweetie! How was Sora today?"

Kairi walked to her mom and gave her a hug, "He was doing well. Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you and dad about something."

Hana looked slightly concerned, but decided to get Shin before asking questions. The two of them joined Kairi in the living room where she was sitting with her green journal. As they sat down, Kairi mustered up the courage to talk.

"Ever since Hinata came to Destiny Islands I have been wondering about how I came here." She began and before they could interrupt she continued, "I know you have told me the general idea, but I can't help but feel like there is something you haven't told me about it."

Her parents were silent for a few moments before Shin looked over at Hana and nodded. Hana then got up from the couch and walked back into their bedroom. Kairi looked at them questioningly but waited for them to explain. A minute later Hana walked back into the living room holding a small brown box. As she handed it to Kairi, Shin clarified, "We weren't at the beach when you came here, but when we adopted you one of the doctors gave us this."

Hana continued, "The doctor said that you had this in your hands when they found you."

Kairi opened the box and gasped when she saw the contents. The object had an outline of a brown crown in the middle and stemming from it was five Thalassa shells, with twine connecting each piece. Each of the shells were yellow near the crown but blended into pink at the edges; with a long twine going though it to create a necklace. The edge of each piece had two small triangles pointing out opposite sides. As she picked it up she felt like she had seen it before. "This seems so familiar." She whispered under her breath.

Hana reached over and turned the object over where words were written, _'You will always find your way. Follow your heart. Love you little sis.'_

As Kairi read the words she felt her hands start to slightly tremble, "I have an older sibling? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Hana sat back down next to Shin as he solemnly explained, "When we were in the process of adopting you, a mental health doctor came and met with us. He told us that he felt that giving you that star and letting you know of your family would be more harmful to you then anything."

"And you listened to him?" Kairi exclaimed. She hadn't meant to be so loud, but she couldn't believe they hid this from her.

"We didn't want to at first," Hana continued, "But he insisted that we would wait until you were older when you would understand more. You were only six years old when you came here."

So many emotions were swimming through Kairi's mind. For one, she was excited to learn about a long lost sibling. At the same time she was heartbroken that she would most likely never meet them again. The fact that her memories weren't there only made it worse. She had a family that loved her and she would never even know who they were. And the fact that her own adopted parents hid it from her was overwhelming. Tears welled up in her eyes and both Hana and Shin got up to comfort her. She angrily pushed them away as she ran clutched the star to her chest and ran out of the house. She didn't know where or why she was running. They had meant the best for her and she knew that, yet at the same time she felt betrayed by the people she considered family.


	8. The Secret Place

Chapter 8

Hinata waved good bye to Sora and Kairi. They had just finished eating lunch together and Riku promised to take Hinata to the secret place afterwards. Waiting until her friends were out of sight, she turned around and jogged to catch up to Riku, who was already walking away. As they walked she could tell that there was a lot on his mind, as he didn't say a word to her. They walked in silence, but she didn't mind. She loved seeing new things and was anxious to see where Riku was leading her. Soon they approached a small pond with a waterfall. Hinata had seen it every day on her way to their regular hangout spot. To the left of the small pond stood a tall tree and near the base of the tree was a small hole covered in ivy. Hinata watched as Riku bent down and went into the hole and then followed after him.

Once inside her eyes took a while to adjust to all of the darkness. Small cracks of light broke through the ceiling of rocks. The area was small with tree roots coming out of the walls. It looked like a normal cave spare a large oval brown door with no way to open it. Hinata walked around the cave and found small drawings that seemed to be Sora and Kairi. She smiled as she softly ran her hand over them, thinking that they must have done those when they were small. After moving on from the drawings she began to examine the door.

Without thinking she muttered, "The Door to Darkness."

Riku was leaning against a tree root with his arms crossed when he overheard Hinata. Surprised he walked over to her, "The what?"

Shaking her head she replied, "Oh, it's nothing. Just reminded me of something my dad used to talk about."

Being increasingly more curious by the second he inquired, "What did he say?"

"He used to tell me and Aiko that every world was locked and separated from each other. Only to be opened with the Door to Darkness." She paused putting her hand on the door.

"What else did he say?" Riku asked leaning in, obviously intrigued.

"I-I don't know," She replied, "I haven't said anything to you guys, but my memories of my world are starting to fade away completely. In fact, I have no idea why or how I remembered what I just told you."

"You should write down what you do remember; like you did when you first met Kairi and Sora." He suggested.

"Maybe I should." She contemplated.

"Well when I bring you home tonight, go ask Kairi if you can use her book." Riku ordered.

She looked up at him, "Yes sir." She playfully saluted, trying to lighten the mood.

He rolled his eyes and huffed, "You don't have to! I was just trying to be helpful!" He saw the pang of hurt appear in Hinata's eyes and suddenly felt guilty for being so harsh. Turning around he stared absently at the cave wall and kicked the ground, "Look, I haven't meant to be so mean today. I don't know why I have been acting like this." He paused for a few seconds trying to swallow his pride to continue, "What I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry."

"What was that?" Hinata pried, surprised to hear Riku actually apologize.

Riku shifted uncomfortably, "I said… I'm sorry."

"Come again?" She closer to him, knowing she was pushing his patience.

He swung around to face her with a scowl, "Don't make a big deal out of this alright?"

She stifled a laugh and put up her hands in surrender, "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry too."

Trying to move on from his apology, for his sake, Hinata ask, "How did you guys find this place?"

Grateful for the subject change he answered, "Sora and I found it not long after Kairi got here. We always used to explore this small island when we were little. Sora's dad would take us almost every day. Our favorite thing to do was to race each other to see who was the fastest."

Hinata giggled, "I see that the competition between you two started early."

Riku pushed the hair out of his face and laughed quietly, "Yeah, we have been like that for as long as I can remember. Anyways, one day we were racing from the paopu tree spot to the waterfall. Back then there was a lot more of ivy over the entrance of this cave and no one knew there was anything behind it. When I beat Sora, as I usually did, he went to lean on the spot of ivy to catch his breath and when he did he fell through it, into this cave."

"I see," She pondered aloud, "Out of curiosity, before Kairi got here, did you or Sora have any ideas there were other worlds?"

Riku walked to the brown door and leaned against it, "There were rumors that this guy had left the Islands to explore other worlds; but a lot of people didn't believe it."

"Did you?"

"I did. That is actually what got me interested in leaving these islands in the first place. Then a few years later there were two visitors Sora and I met that weren't from here."

"Who were they?"

Riku shook his head, "They never told us their names. And it was so long ago that I don't have the best memory of what they look like. They said some strange stuff though."

"Like what?" She asked.

He stood there deep in thought, thinking over the things one of the visitors had said to him. Their appearances were fading from memory, but not their words. This particular visitor was a man that had this strange weapon, something he called a Keyblade. He'd told Riku that one day Riku would wield it. Riku had been so excited to tell Sora about it, but then the man told him that if he ever told anyone about it the magic that bound him to the weapon would wear off. Since then he hasn't mentioned it to anyone, including the ever pestering Sora who saw him talking to the visitor and tried for days afterwards to figure out the secret.

Hinata waved her hand in front of Riku, "Hello, anyone in there?"

Startled out of his thoughts he looked up at the concerned Hinata, "Huh? Yeah, I can't tell you what they said."

Putting her hands on her hips she protested, "What? Why even tell me they said something weird if you weren't going to say what it was?"

Riku waved her off, "I forgot I couldn't say. I promised I would keep it a secret."

"Can I ask Sora? I feel like he would tell me." Hinata said trying to find a loophole to get the truth.

"You probably could if he knew." Riku pointed out.

"Wow, you didn't even tell Sora? They must have said something really important." Hinata put her hand on her forehead, "Aw man, this is going to drive me crazy!"

Riku laughed, "I'm sure you'll find some way to keep your mind off it."

Hinata huffed as she realized Riku wasn't going to give anything away. She wondered what could have been so important and why the person had trusted Riku when they had no idea who he was. Her thoughts were interrupted when Riku spoke, "Do you remember if anyone off world visited your home?"

She stood there with her eyes closed trying to think. "There is one person I remember. I feel like there were more but one sticks out." Opening her eyes she placed her hands on her heart. "My heart remembers her." Suddenly feeling foolish for saying that she blushed and stammered, "I know that sounds weird."

Riku pushed off the door he was leaning on and walked up to Hinata, "Actually, it really doesn't. Sora once felt so much pain in his heart he said it felt like someone was squeezing it. When he told me about it I told him that he was probably feeling the pain of someone else far away. I told him to open his heart to reach out to them."

"Did it work?"

"He said it worked, although, he didn't tell me the details."

"How did you know what the problem was?"

"I'm not sure." Riku answered honestly and then put his hand on Hinata's shoulder, "Probably the same way you remember that girl. My heart told me."

Hinata felt her stomach ruffle with butterflies as Riku talked and put his hand on her, but she mentally shoved the feeling away. She couldn't figure out what to say and simply smiled instead. Riku took his hand off Hinata's shoulder and took a step back before asking, "So what does your heart remember about this girl?"

"From what I remember, it all started when I was looking for Aiko around the town. We had just been in the garden and she ran off while I wasn't looking. She did that a lot." A sad smile flashed across her face before continuing, "I was near the castle when I saw a blue haired woman running away with Aiko in her arms. Before I could get to her to figure out what was going on she put my sister down and pulled out this strange weapon. Then she ran off. When I got Aiko to ask her what happened, she told me the girl had saved her life from these strange looking blue creatures."

"Did you ever get to talk to her?" Riku asked.

"No I never did," she answered, "In fact; I know so little about her it's strange my hearts insists on remembering. I mean, I know she saved my sister's life, but something tells me there is more to it." She sighed before continuing, "Maybe I'll never know."

"I think you will someday." Riku answered.

Hinata looked over at Riku and smiled. She was glad their awkwardness from earlier was gone. Ever since talking with Kairi on their way to lunch she hadn't been able to get what Kairi said out of her mind. She had been told to talk to Riku about earlier and tell him how she felt; yet she wasn't even sure how to figure out what she was feeling. If the butterflies from earlier were any indication, there was a lot more going on than she was admitting to herself. Back on her own world she was always so focused on her sparring skills that she didn't take time for relationships. To her there were always better things to be done than chasing after some boy like many of her female classmates did. She had no idea what it was like to have a crush. All of these feelings she was having were driving her crazy. She wondered if Riku was feeling the same way.

A strange look from Riku brought her back to reality and she suddenly felt rather self-conscious as she realized she had been smiling at him for a couple minutes now. She quickly turned away and felt her face burn with embarrassment. "Hey Riku", she managed to mutter; "Why did you hold my hand last night?" She mentally hit herself for asking such a school girl question. They were fifteen years old and most of her classmates back home were already on their second or third boyfriend; yet here she was making a fuss over having her hand held.

She swung around to face Riku so she could scramble to take back what she said, but Riku's reaction to her question almost made her curious about the outcome. He had nearly fallen down from hearing what she said. Clearly he was making as big of a deal out of it as she was. His face turned beet red as he tried to figure out how he should react. He tried talking but all that came out were strange stutters. Before he could form any intelligible words Hinata put her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. She tried to keep it in but soon doubled over with a laughing fit.

Concluding that she was merely playing a mean trick on him, Riku stood up straight and growled. "That wasn't funny Hinata!"

"Oh yes it was!" Catching her breath she explained, "I honestly didn't ask that as a joke. Your reaction was just so hilarious I couldn't help it!"

Riku felt incredibly embarrassed and didn't know exactly how to respond. He decided to just tell her the truth. Getting all of his nervousness out before he was more level headed to speak, "I don't know why I did. It just happened. I noticed you were upset and I did the first thing I could think of to comfort you."

"Oh I see," Hinata responded, accidentally letting her disappointment show. "That's all it was then."

"Actually," He began, feeling his palms sweat from his nerves. "That's only how it initially happened." He couldn't believe what he was saying, it was as if his heart was talking of things that his head hadn't completely accepted yet, "At first I only grabbed your hand to comfort you, but the moment I did something sparked in my heart."

Hinata's eyes opened wide in surprise, "What was it?"

Beginning to let his heart take over the conversation he stepped closer to Hinata, "That you meant more to me that I realized." Reluctantly he grabbed her hand, "I usually take a long time to trust someone, as you could tell by Sora and Kairi being my only friends before I met you; but with you I trusted you the moment we talked for the first time. There is something special about you." Realizing he was being more touchy and emotional than he had ever been with someone he withdrew from his heart, let go of Hinata's hand, and sarcastically remarked, "Or something like that."

Hinata just smiled as Riku stepped back. She knew he had suddenly gotten embarrassed for being so forward; but having heard how he really felt helped her realize her own feelings as well. They hadn't known each other for long, but something in her heart drew her to him. She had accepted that now and it seemed for the most part Riku did too.

Riku stepped back farther from Hinata and uncomfortably looked around the cave, "We should probably be getting you home soon. I'm pretty sure the sun's going done, since the cave is getting darker."

Still grinning like an idiot Hinata agreed and they left the cave to start heading home. Even though the sun was beginning to set, the brightness outside compared to the secret spot caused the two of them to squint their eyes until they slowly adjusted. They got on the boat to start heading back to the main island and had pleasant small talk the whole way, purposefully avoiding what they had just talked about in the cave. Soon they arrived at the main island and Riku began to walk Hinata back to her home. When they were coming up on her neighborhood they saw Kairi rush past them. The two of them stopped in their tracks and tried to call out to her, but she seemed to be extremely emotional and did not hear them.

"We should follow her!" Hinata told Riku, becoming increasingly worried about her. Riku immediately agreed and they began to head in the direction Kairi was going.

Kairi had just run out on Hana and Shin when they showed her the object they had been keeping from her. She had no idea where or why she was running, but before she knew it she was in front of Sora's house. She took a deep breath as she knocked, trying to gain control of her emotions. Sora answered the door and was shocked to find Kairi in tears. Quickly, he walked outside and closed the front door behind him. Before he could question her she ran into his arms crying.

He wrapped his arm around her trying to comfort her. It was unusual for Kairi to be so emotional. She was a rather strong person in Sora's opinion.

Within moments Hinata and Riku showed up. Hinata took Kairi from Sora and tried to calm her down. "What happened?" Riku inquired Sora.

Sora didn't break his worried eyes away from Kairi, "I have no idea. Last I heard she was going to talk to her parents about her past."

They stood there trying to comfort her until she began to compose herself. Hinata rubbed her back and Sora finally looked away from Kairi to look at Riku, "What are you two doing here? I thought you were showing Hinata the secret place."

"I did," Riku explained, "I was walking Hinata home when we saw Kairi running away crying."

Kairi wiped her eyes, "Thank you guys. I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright," Hinata comforted, "It's getting late, and we should get home to get some sleep. We can all talk about what happened later."

Kairi pulled away, "I don't want to go home tonight. I-I think I need some time away from Hana and Shin; time to think over things."

They were taken aback by her referring to her adopted parents by first name. Since she was adopted she had referred to them as Mom and Dad. Hinata nodded in understanding. She looked up at Riku and Sora, "Would either of your parents be willing to take her in?"

"I'll go ask." Sora said as he quickly went inside to inquire with his parents.

"I know mine wouldn't," Riku claimed, "They don't even like me staying there."

Hinata smiled at him trying to be comforting. He noticed her gesture and smiled back. Kairi was still under a lot of emotion but noticed their looks to each other. Trying to giggle she teased, "Seems like you two made up."

Riku immediately blushed and looked away, "There was nothing to make up!"

Sora came out of the house with him mom, Saki; a petite woman with brown hair in a bun. She walked over to Kairi and said, "You are welcome to stay with us until things work out with Hana and Shin; but won't they be worried?"

Hinata stepped in, "I'll make sure to talk to them about it tonight. I'm sure they'll understand."

Saki agreed and told Sora to show Kairi to the guest room. As he led Kairi inside, Saki walked up to Hinata, "Do you know what happened? I've never seen Kairi like this, especially about her parents."

She shook her head, "I don't, she doesn't seem like the kind of person act like this without good reason. Like I said though, I'll talk to Hana and Shin about it to find out more. Thank you for taking her in. I can bring some of her stuff over later."

Saki put her hand on Hinata's shoulder, "I'm glad she has you. And it's no problem. She and Sora are great friends, so it won't be any trouble. Just make sure to let me know what you find out about the situation."

With that Saki said farewell to Riku and Hinata and went inside to help Kairi get settled. Riku walked up to Hinata, "Ready to head home? We can help Kairi more tomorrow."

She nodded as they turned away from Sora's house and began to walk away. As they walked the two of them slowly got closer together and Riku awkwardly reached over and grabbed Hinata's hand. A smile spread across her face as they continued to walk back to her home.

****Author's Note- Thank you everyone for your continued support! I wanted to assure you that Kairi won't be crying all the time in my story. I promise! She's just being emotional right now, but after this her strong heart will kick in. I just always thought that how quickly the game glossed over her not remembering her past was just silly. If I was in that situation, I know I would get emotional sometimes. Anyways, please let me know what you think!****


	9. Reconciliations

Chapter 9

Saki warmed a pot of hot water to make some tea. She had never seen Kairi in such an emotional state and was slightly taken aback when Sora had asked if she could stay at their home for a while. Without hesitation she had agreed, but she couldn't help but feel that Hana and Shin would be hurt that Kairi refused to be with them for the time being. Pouring the now boiling water into a couple mugs, Saki hoped that Kairi was ready to share what happened.

Holding a tray with three steaming mugs of tea, Saki walked into the living room where Sora and Kairi were sitting silently. She slowly set the tray on a coffee table in front of the main couch and handed Sora and Kairi their drinks.

Sitting down in an arm chair across from the couch she took a small sip of her tea before speaking, "I hope you enjoy your time here, Kairi. If there is anything you need, feel free to ask."

"Thank you," Kairi genuinely replied, "I really appreciate you taking me in. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble!" Sora assured, "My mom loves having company. Don't you mom?"

Saki smiled, "I really do. With Sora's dad gone on business trips on the smaller islands lately, things can get rather boring around here."

"He should be getting back from a trip soon right?" Kairi asked, trying to keep up the small talk.

Nodding in agreement, Saki looked for an opening to bring up why Kairi was really there. She wasn't one known for her tact in conversations, even though she was trying to improve. Before she could find the right words to say, Sora beat her to it.

"So what happened, Kairi?" Sora blurted, "What made you run out on your parents?"

Saki shrugged and smiled behind her mug, it seemed that her lack of eloquence had been passed down to Sora. Regardless of how it was asked, however, she was just glad they were finally talking about it. Kairi put her mug onto the table and grabbed the small box that held the object Hana and Shin had given to her earlier. Pulling out the star-like object Kairi began to explain everything that happened. Sora and Saki listened intently without interrupting trying to get the whole story before giving their opinions.

When he could tell that Kairi was completely finished Sora said, "At least they gave it to you," Motioning towards the object in Kairi's hands.

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked.

"When you asked them about what you thought they were hiding, they very well could have decided to not tell you anything." Saki concluded. "Instead, they felt that you deserved to know the truth."

"Maybe…" Kairi admitted, "But why didn't they show me sooner?"

Saki pondered what she said before responding, trying to choose her words carefully, "When Hana and Shin adopted you, they had no idea how to be parents. And rather than having a baby where they would learn along the way they got a six year old right off the bat. They had a huge learning curve when it came to making the right decisions with your future. Over everything else, they wanted and still do want what's best for you. When they were adopting you, many professional people told them that they shouldn't share what they knew of your past with you. And even though they didn't completely agree with that, they thought that maybe that would be the best course of action. If they are anything like me, they have probably been second guessing themselves on a lot of their decisions when it came to parenting you; especially about sharing that object from your past family. I don't think they were doing it out of malicious intent. In fact, I know that they were just doing what they thought was right."

Kairi stared absently at her cup of tea thinking about everything Saki was saying. She had never thought of her adopted parents like that. Suddenly she began to feel guilty for running out on them like she had. Looking back at Saki she said, "I had no idea they've been through so much for me." Then looking back down at the object in her lap she continued, "It's just hard to think of them as my parents when I know that my real family is still out there."

"I don't think family is always a set group of people," Saki replied, happy that she was getting through to Kairi, "The real meaning of family is a group of people who will be there for you no matter what."

"Yeah," Sora chimed in, "Like you, me, Riku, and Hinata!"

"And Hana and Shin, my parents," Kairi finished.

Saki reached over and placed her hand over one of Kairi's, "That doesn't mean you should give up on ever finding your older sibling or your real parents. Just that, in the meantime, be thankful and content with where you are now. You have a family that loves you and are well cared for. That's something not everyone has."

Looking up at Saki, Kairi gave her a warm smile. "Thank you," She said to both Saki and Sora, "I think I should go home to talk to my parents."

Without thinking Saki pumped her fist in the air and yelled, "Yes!" When she noticed the odd look she got from Kairi she put down her arm and explained, "I mean, I always love having you here, but I'm just glad you are going to work things out with your parents."

Sora laughed, "That's my mom for you!"

Standing up from her chair and ruffling Sora's hair as she walked by, Saki teased, "Unfortunately my dear son, you are the same way."

Pushing his mom's arm away from his hair he objected, "What? I'm nothing like that!"

Kairi giggled as she began to feel a huge emotional weight lifted off her shoulders. She was glad she had come to these two to talk tonight. Putting her star-like object back into its box, she hoped that she hadn't done too much damage to her parents by running out on them. When she looked up she saw Saki putting on her red sweater.

Noticing Kairi's glance, Saki asked, "Would you like to go over there now? Sooner the better I always say!"

Kairi stood up and grabbed the small box, "Ready!"

"I'm coming too!" Sora exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

"I don't know," Saki countered, "It's already past eight P.M, Hana and Shin might not appreciate a house full of guests so late."

Sora huffed, "What? I don't want to stay here by myself."

Saki thought it over then shrugged, "Alright fine, but when I say we have to go, I mean it. Not what you usually try to pull with saying you need five more minutes."

Putting his hands behind his head as he walked out the front door Sora said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The three of them walked to Kairi's home. Saki and Sora bantered while Kairi worried in the back of her mind about what she was going to say to her parents when she saw them. She didn't know how she was going to apologize and tell them that she understood why they did what they did. Everything Saki had said really struck a chord with her and it seemed instantaneous that she went from being upset to being content with her life.

Soon they arrived at Kairi's home and Saki knocked on the door. Within seconds Hinata opened the door and was surprised to see who it was. Walking inside, Kairi saw Riku standing by Hinata and Hana and Shin sitting on the couch together. Hana seemed to be rather upset and emotional, while Shin was comforting her. Their eyes lit up when they saw Kairi, but stayed silent to hear what she had to say.

Saki and Sora stayed by the front door as Kairi walked up to her parents. With her head down Kairi tried to find what she should say, ending up with a simple, "I'm sorry."

Without saying anything, Hana simply stood up and embraced Kairi. Shin stood up shortly after and embraced them as well.

When they separated Hana assured her, "You don't have to apologize. We know that not having your memories of your past family can be hard for you. We're sorry for not telling you sooner."

Seeing that things seemed to be patched up, Saki plopped her hand on Sora's shoulder before breaking the news, "We should head home."

"Oh five more minutes?" Sora teased half seriously.

Before Saki could get on Sora for doing the very thing she warned him not to do, Shin interceded, "Actually, if you don't mind staying, we would love to have all of you here for a while. With everything that's happened tonight, we aren't the least bit tired."

"That sounds great!" Saki agreed.

Hana and Shin left Kairi after giving her another quick hug and headed to the kitchen to make some snacks and drinks, with Saki following close behind. Sora, Riku, and Hinata walked over to Kairi and sat down. Sora sat next to Kairi on one couch, while Riku sat on the floor by Hinata, who was sitting in an arm chair.

Hinata sighed relieved and stretched her arms before saying, "I am so glad you're back! Things were really gloomy around here."

Kairi smiled, "Me too!"

When the four of them were quiet for a moment, Sora broke the silence, "Hey Kairi, have you shown Riku or Hinata that star yet?"

"Yeah," Riku added, "Hana and Shin told us they gave you something. I've really wanted to see it."

Kairi nodded and handed Riku the box. Opening it and picking up the star like object he examined it. After he was finished, not finding anything to point out, he handed it over to Hinata.

"Is this," Hinata paused holding it up to the light, "A Wayfinder?"

Surprised Kairi asked, "You know what it is?"

"Yeah," Hinata remarked, and then asked, "Could I borrow your green journal really quick?"

Kairi gave her a quizzical look but quickly got up to grab her journal. While she was grabbing it Riku knelt down by Hinata and asked, "Another random memory?"

Hinata nodded as Kairi returned and handed her the journal. Opening it to a blank page she began to read aloud as she wrote, "When you give a Wayfinder to someone it signifies that your destinies will forever be intertwined; that no matter what, you will find your way back to each other. My sister Aiko and I made some after our dad told us about them."

Placing the Wayfinder back in its box Kairi said, "We will always find our way back. I hope that's true."

Hinata put her arm around Kairi, "I know it's true. I think you and your sibling will find each other one day. Especially now that you know they exist."

****Author's Note- Sorry this chapter took a little longer to post! I rewrote it like 3 times before I was happy with it. Anyways, thank you everyone for reading!****


	10. Let's Leave This Place

Chapter 10

The hands on the clock ticked agonizingly slow as every student in the class watched it in anticipation. Today was the last day of school before summer break and only five minutes remained before all the students were free. Since it was the last day, the teacher's didn't even try to teach anything to the restless kids, instead there were class parties and movies going on. Even with the parties, though, the students couldn't wait to get out. Sora and Kairi sat with Hinata and Riku in their History classroom, talking about what they had planned for summer break. Over the past nine months the four of them had become the closest knit group anyone had ever seen.

Hinata was leaned up against Riku as he had his arm around her; the two of them had officially begun dating three months before. Looking at the clock Hinata groaned, "Still five more minutes? Even though it's the last day, school still drags on."

Kairi laughed, "I know right? You would think with all the fun stuff happening today, it would fly by."

"So what are we going to do this summer, anyways?" Sora said changing the subject and leaning his chair back.

"What we always do," Riku complained, "Nothing exciting ever happens."

"Things got changed up when Hinata got here!" Kairi pointed out.

Riku smiled at Hinata, "That's true, but that happened almost a year ago. Within a couple months things were back to old and boring around here."

"Gee thanks," Hinata sarcastically remarked.

"You know what I mean." Riku countered rubbing the bridge of his nose, "We should leave this place, and go see what's out there. This place…" He paused looking around, "It's more like a prison than anything; holding us back. You agree with me, right Hinata?"

Hinata sat up, "I admit that I am eager to begin looking for my sister. Although, with the only memories I have being what I keep in Kairi's journal, I'm not even sure how well that would turn out."

"I bet your heart will remember Aiko once you find her." Sora assured her, joining in on the conversation

Placing her hands on her heart Hinata said, "I hope you're right."

"We need to start searching for her!" Riku exclaimed, trying to get his friends on board with his idea. "This summer we could find a way to get off this island and explore."

"I don't know," Sora admitted, "I kind of like it here. Plus, what would our parents think?"

"What do you mean?" Riku argued, "Our parents are the ones holding us back the most!"

"Riku…" Hinata said, trying to calm him down, but before more could be said the school bell rang, and a flood of students rushed out of the building.

Standing up Riku hastily grabbed his backpack and walked away, ignoring his friends calling after him. Hinata stood up and crossed her arms in frustration. She hadn't seen Riku get so worked up since she had asked to meet his parents.

Grabbing her own backpack Hinata told her friends, "I'm going after him. I'll see you two later."

Running outside Hinata headed to Riku's home, hoping to catch up to him. After a couple minutes she spotted him and called out his name. Surprised to hear someone call out to him, Riku turned around and when he saw it was Hinata he sighed. He was hoping she wouldn't follow him, but once he saw she did he felt himself smiling.

Catching up to him and gasping for breath Hinata leaned her hands on her knees and asked, "Why did you run off like that? You had me worried!" Looking up at his face she got frustrated, "And why are you smiling?"

Riku quickly wiped his smile away and flipped his hair out of his eyes, "It was nothing; just wanted to get home."

Hinata stood up straight, knowing he was lying, "Riku, you really need to stop hiding your feelings from me. You should know by now that I can see right through you."

"If you can read me so well, why don't you tell me what my problem is?" Riku retorted with a smirk, wondering why he was being so rude.

Throwing her hands in the air Hinata yelled, "You can be so aggravating sometimes!" Turning around and walking away she called out, "I don't know why I bothered following you. I'm going home."

Riku quickly regretted his actions and reached out his hand to grab Hinata's, "You're right, I'm sorry." Something he had grudgingly gotten used to saying lately, though only to Hinata. "Please don't leave."

Turning back around to face Riku, Hinata smiled at his apology, "Now will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"Fine," Riku resigned, "But can we talk at my house? My parents said they wanted to talk to me after school."

"Talk to you?" Hinata exclaimed surprised, "That doesn't sound like your parents."

Riku laughed, "I know, that's why I want to know what they want."

The two of them walked the rest of the way to Riku's home holding hands and talking about their summer break. Soon they came up to his house and Riku unlocked the front door allowing them to go inside. As Hinata followed Riku indoors she instantly began to feel gloomy. That always seemed to happen whenever she came over. Riku's parents never planned on having a child, then when Riku came along they basically just did what was needed to keep him alive. They never spent quality time with him; they basically were waiting for him to turn eighteen so he could move out. Their attitude towards Riku was poorly hidden and made Hinata frustrated at times.

As Riku closed the door behind them his father said, "You're finally here. Your mother and I need to talk to you."

Riku rolled his eyes, "I know, that's why I'm here." He always met his parents with the same rudeness they showed him.

His father grunted in reply and then caught sight of Hinata, "Who's she?"

Hinata stepped forward, "I'm Hinata, and we met a couple months ago when Riku and I first started dating."

Riku's mom walked into the entryway from the kitchen, "Riku's dating someone?"

"If you would ever pay attention you might have remembered!" Riku yelled, "Hinata came over with me a couple months ago because she wanted to meet you. For the life of me I don't know why she would ever want to meet you!" Grumbling under his breath he grabbed Hinata's hand, "Let's go, I don't feel like talking to them."

Hinata stood firm as Riku tried to walk away, "Riku, you should at least hear what they wanted to say."

Sighing heavily Riku faced his parents, "Fine, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Getting straight to the point Riku's dad said, "We're moving in a week."

Taken aback by his father's bluntness Riku asked, "What? Why?"

His mother spoke up, "Your father got a new job on a factory plant on Unmei Island."

Hinata squeezed Riku's hand as he protested, "Unmei Island is the farthest island from the mainland! I'll probably hardly ever get to see my friends again!"

His father scoffed, "Aren't you usually ranting on about how you want to go different places?"

"Yeah, to other worlds," Riku explained, "Not to the smallest island people live on! Where would I even go to school?"

"Like I care about that," Riku's dad grumbled, "You're fifteen now right? You can drop out at this age."

Riku clenched his fist in anger; his parents didn't seem to care the least bit for him, especially his father. That's when his mother stepped in, "There is a small school on the island that children of all grades can attend. That's where you will be going. You'll be the only high school student on the island."

"And I'm only getting a week notice to pack all of my things?" Riku asked, "How long have you known about this?"

His mom rubbed her hands together uncomfortably, she knew that Riku wasn't going to like her answer, "We've known for a couple months…"

"A couple months?!" Hinata interrupted, getting fed up with the way Riku's parents were treating him, "You both knew you were moving when Riku first told you he was dating me? And you didn't say anything?"

"Stay out of this, this is a family conversation!" Riku's father stood up pointing at Hinata, "You shouldn't even be here!"

Riku stood protectively in front of Hinata glaring his father down, "Don't talk to her like that!" Reaching behind Hinata, Riku opened the front door, "Let's go Hinata."

Hinata solemnly left the house as Riku slowly turned around and followed. Silently they walked away and before they realized it they were at the beach. They sat down next to each other on the sandy banks and listened to the waves.

After a couple minutes Hinata spoke up, "Let's leave the island."

Surprised Riku looked away from the waves and to Hinata, "What?"

Tuning towards him Hinata said in a matter-or-fact fashion, "You were right, your parents are holding you back. I need to start looking for Aiko and you want to get away from here." She paused looking down at the sand, "And I can't stand the thought of not seeing you again."

Riku smiled and looked back at the ocean, "Yeah, let's do it." He could hardly believe it, they were finally going to get off the island, or at least they were going to try. "I wonder if we could get Sora and Kairi to come along."

Hinata nodded, "I'm sure once they'll consider it once they hear that you'll be moving away otherwise."

Within the next few minutes Sora and Kairi came running up behind them and joined them on the beach.

"There you two are!" Sora exclaimed, "We were wondering where you wandered off to."

"Yeah, we were just about to head to the paopu tree when we saw you guys here." Kairi added, "Everything alright?"

Riku informed them of everything that had happened when he and Hinata went to his house. Letting the fact that he would most likely never see them again when he moved being what he mentioned the most. Sora and Kairi both got upset when they heard of his predicament.

"That's stupid!" Sora complained, "Why would they not tell you you're moving until the last minute?"

"Can you move in with a friend instead?" Kairi suggested.

"I've tried that in the past already." Riku explained, "Remember when I moved in with Sora for a while? Saki can barely handle Sora here with Sora's dad always gone on business trips. Then Hana and Shin already have a full house with you and Hinata." Lying down on the sand he concluded, "I guess I'm just going to have to move away."

Hinata gave Riku an annoyed look as she realized he was purposefully trying to make Sora and Kairi upset so they would be more likely to agree to their plan. It seemed to have worked as their friends began trying to come up with ways to stop Riku from moving.

"There has to be something we can do." Sora said, leaning on his arms that were propping him up.

Riku nudged Hinata with his knee, apparently telling her to tell them of their plan. Sighing Hinata decided to play along for his sake and explained, "The only way all of us can be sure to see Riku again is to leave this island."

Sora and Kairi looked at each other and then said in unison, "Leave the island?"

Kairi shook her head, "How would we even do that?"

The three of them pondered ideas of how they could explore other worlds as Sora stayed silent, trying to decide if he was willing to leave the island to be with his friends even if it meant leaving his family and life.

Soon Riku sat up with an idea, "I once heard that if you sail long enough on this ocean you'll end up on another world."

Hinata looked out at the ocean horizon, "We would have to sail for quite a long time for that to happen."

"Have any better ideas?" Riku asked.

Kairi spoke up, "We could build a raft!"

Hinata and Riku agreed with Kairi. Then Riku looked over at Sora who had been silent the whole discussion, "What do you think Sora, you in?"

Sora sat thinking about what he should do, when his heart suddenly began to remind him of something an off-world visitor once told him. She was a young woman who had talked to him and Riku when they were young. The woman had told him that his job was to stay with Riku and protect him. He had never met her before, but her words stuck with him. Despite having to leave his family and home behind, he had to stay and support his friends.

Looking up with a smile Sora said, "You bet!"

*** Author's Note- Thank you everyone for reading! We are finally getting started on the Kingdom Hearts story. I am actually hoping to start a separate story that will be random one shot stories during the nine months I skimmed through. They won't have much of an impact on this story, more just character development for different characters. Anyways, please feel free to leave comments or reviews letting me know what you think! ***


	11. Taking a Chance

Chapter 11

The sky was clear as the first day of summer vacation began. Hinata and Kairi were in their boat, heading to the small island with the paopu tree. Today was the day they were going to begin building the raft. Looking down at the ocean water, Kairi could faintly see small fish swimming through the colorful coral reef.

Sighing Kairi said, "I am excited to see new worlds, but I am going to miss this place."

Hinata nodded as she rowed the boat, "Yeah, this is a beautiful place. Sometimes I don't understand why Riku wants to leave so badly."

Looking back up at Hinata, Kairi asked, "Do you think we'll ever see the island again?"

Hinata thought about what Kairi said before replying, "I do. This island is your home. No matter what you see or do, you can always come back here."

"You even believe that about your home?" Kairi asked, rubbing her hands together.

"Yes," Hinata simply answered as she looked at the paopu tree in the distance, "I know I'll find it again someday."

The two of them stayed silent the rest of the way until they reached the wooden pier by the island. As Hinata was tethering the boat to one of the wooden poles, Kairi jumped out and headed to Sora who was sleeping on the sand. After Hinata was finished she saw Riku pull his boat up beside her.

Riku smiled when he saw Hinata and jumped out of his boat, "Good morning!" He chimed. He gave Hinata a hug before tying his boat up.

Hinata gave Riku a quizzical look, "You're in an oddly good mood today."

Laughing Riku said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm always in a good mood."

"Don't make me laugh!" Hinata scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.

Riku laughed again then grabbed some wood he had piled in his boat. Handing a log up to Hinata he asked, "Yeah, whatever. Would you help me carry some of this stuff?"

Hinata took the log and asked, "So do we know how we are going to make the raft?"

Nodding, Riku grabbed another log and got out of the boat, "Yeah, Sora and I drew up some building plans after you and Kairi headed home last night. I'll show it to you after we bring these logs to the beach."

They walked together off the pier to the sandy beach where Kairi was talking to the now awake Sora. As they approached them, Hinata and Riku overheard them talking about leaving on the raft and exploring other worlds.

"Hey aren't you forgetting about someone?" Riku interrupted them as he got closer, and then nodded towards Hinata "I guess we're the only ones working on the raft." Laughing he threw his log at Sora and walked over to Kairi, "And you're just as lazy as he is."

Kairi giggled and pushed her hair behind her ear, "So you've noticed. Okay we'll finish it together!"

Riku plopped down in the sand next to Sora. And Hinata walked by Kairi, putting the log she was holding onto the sand. Sora looked over at Riku and smiled.

"We wouldn't leave without you Riku!" Sora assured him, "You're the whole reason we're going!"

Putting his hands behind his head Riku leaned back onto the sand, "Well thanks guys. I can't wait till we get out of here."

Sora looked over at Riku with a concerned gaze that Hinata quickly noticed, "You alright Sora?" Hinata asked.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Sora explained, "Huh? Oh yeah, just had a really strange dream. It felt so real."

Hinata was about to ask more about it when Riku sprang up and interrupted, "It was just a dream, don't worry about it. Now are we going to relax all day or get working on that raft?"

"I'll race you!" Kairi laughed, purposefully trying to get Riku and Sora to compete, who both seemed to be disinterested until Kairi said, "Ready? Go!"

Instantly Sora and Riku sprang up from the sand and began to run towards the paopu fruit tree with a giggling Kairi trailing behind and Hinata picking up the logs. The four of them worked together on building the raft and collecting supplies for their journey. After a couple days their work was finally done and the four of them stood back to admire their work. A large rectangle shaped wooden raft floated in the ocean with a single pole sticking up with a tan sail. On top of it was a cloth sack filled with things for their journey.

Sora plopped down on the sand with exhaustion, "It's finally done!"

"How far will this take us?" Hinata wondered aloud.

"If we have to, we'll think of something else." Riku assured her.

Kairi looked out past the raft at the sun that was just beginning to set, "So tomorrow's the big day."

The four of them were quiet for a moment, thinking about how everything in their life was going to change. After tonight they wouldn't be able to see their families for a long time. It would just be the four of them on the sea, exploring what's out there. All of them were frightened yet excited to see new things.

After a while Hinata spoke up, "Well, I guess we should make the most of tonight. Who knows when we will be back here?"

Her friends nodded in agreement and Kairi began to walk to the pier, "I think I want to watch the sun set one last time. That's my favorite thing about this island."

Sora stood up from the sand and followed Kairi, "I'll go with you!"

That left Riku and Hinata standing alone. Hinata looked over at Riku and asked, "So was there anything you wanted to do?"

Grabbing her hand Riku smiled at her, "Actually yeah, there is." He led her to the entrance of the secret place and once they got there he stopped and said, "Close your eyes."

Hinata raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, but did as he said. Once they were closed Riku led her inside the cave. "Keep them closed until I say so," He urged her as he let go of her hands and began putting things together.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked having a hard time keeping her eyes closed from anticipation.

After he was done Riku said, "Okay, you can open them now."

Opening her eyes Hinata gasped as she looked around the cave. There were dozens of lit candles lined along the walls, illuminating the entire space and giving the area a warm glow. Riku stood in the middle of the room uncomfortably rubbing his hands together.

"I know it isn't much, candles in a room aren't exactly the most exciting thing." Riku started, beginning to feel his cheeks flush.

Hinata smiled and assured him, "Actually I love it. I think it's beautiful in here. I was hoping we could come here one last time before we left." She began to walk around the cave, examining the drawing she had seen dozens of times before as the candlelight seemed to make them glow.

Stopping by the door she put her hand on it, "I guess we'll never find out why this door is here." Riku just nervously laughed in return, causing Hinata to turn around, "Are you alright Riku?"

Taking a couple deep breaths Riku admitted, "There is something I need to do before we leave tomorrow."

Before Hinata could question him Riku walked up and cupped her face with his hands. Then ever so slowly, so Hinata could stop him at any time, he pressed his lips softly to hers. Hinata felt lightning strike through her body as she placed her hands onto Riku's chest and leaned into his kiss. After a few seconds Riku pulled away and pressed his forehead to Hinata's.

After a moment Riku said, "Um, I hope that was ok."

Hinata giggled and lifted Riku's face, kissing him before saying, "It was amazing."

Riku grinned and was about kiss her again when they heard Sora call from the cave entrance, "Come on lovebirds, it's time we get home."

Quickly backing away and uncomfortably rubbing the back of his hair Riku said, "Well… um… I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Hinata blushed and smiled at him before saying, "We can head back together."

"Actually I was hoping to stay here a little longer." Riku explained, "You go on and head back with them."

"I can stay here with you." Hinata offered

Riku shook his head, "Thank you, but I'm sure you would like to spend time with Hana and Shin before we leave tomorrow. My parents won't notice if I'm late coming home."

"Alright," Hinata resigned walking back over to Riku and giving him a peck on the cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Riku smiled and placed his hand on the check Hinata kissed as he watched her leave. After she was out of sight Riku crossed his arms and looked around the cave. He didn't know why he was insisting on staying behind tonight. Something told him that there was another thing he had to do before leaving; however, he couldn't quite place what it was. He decided to begin blowing out the candles he had set up to surprise Hinata. As he was putting them out he passed by the wooden door. Looking at it he thought about what Hinata had talked about how they would never find out what it was for. Shrugging he continued putting out the candles, figuring that they will find more interesting things on their travels. Once everything was out he walked outside to sit along the beach. He examined the raft he had built with his friends. Everything was put together and they had worked so hard, but he couldn't help but feel that this wasn't the best way off the island. Hinata was right when she asked how far the raft could take them. There was no guarantee this plan of theirs would even work. The more he thought about it the more frustrated he got.

Groaning, Riku lay back on the sand and said aloud, "I wish there was a better way."

Suddenly a deep voice rang out, "I know of a way, a way to get you off this prison."

Springing up in surprise, Riku whipped around and yelled, "Who said that?"

When he turned around he could see a figure wearing a thick brown cloak standing in the sand. Rather than answer Riku, the cloaked figure silently turned around and headed towards the secret spot.

"Hey wait!" Riku called, standing up and running after him.

Once inside the cave, Riku's eyes took a while to adjust. Even after they did, he could barely make out his surroundings. Faintly he could see the cloaked figure standing by the wooden door.

"Who are you?" Riku asked as he slowly and cautiously walked further into the cave.

"I can get you off this island." The figure said.

Riku was taken aback, "I already am. We are taking a raft-"

"A meaningless effort," The man interrupted, "That plan is only doomed to fail."

"What do you know?" Riku scoffed.

"I know that without my help you and your friends will never make it off the beach."

The more the man talked the more uneasy Riku felt; however, curiosity was beginning to get the best of him. "What do you want?" He asked crossing his arms.

"Nothing of importance," The man said turning towards the door, "I need you to open this door."

"Nice try," Riku said, "Don't you think I've tried? It won't budge."

"Yes, but those times you haven't had my power." The figure said, "All you need to do is touch the door and it will open."

"How will opening that door allow me to go to other worlds?"

"Opening this door would unlock the key to leaving."

"How did you get here?" Riku asked with no reply.

When the man didn't answer Riku began to feel anxious. Something wasn't right, but this man was offering to get him off the island. The one thing he has always wanted. He thought about what the mystery man was saying before deciding to ask, "Why me?" When the man didn't answer Riku continued, "Why are you asking me to open the door and not someone else?"

"Another boy was approached by me earlier today, yet he understood nothing." The cloaked figure answered, "You hold a special power within you, the key to opening this door and many others."

Riku thought back to what an off world visitor had said to him when he was young, about having the power to be a Keyblade wielder. He had kept his promise to the visitor, and never told anyone about their encounter. He wondered if he was meant to open the door, and how the cloaked figure knew of his secret. "How did you know?"

His question was once again met with silence and the warning signs in Riku's mind were blaring for him to run away. As much as he was sure that something was amiss, he couldn't pass this opportunity. Looking away from the man, Riku examined the door he had seen dozens of times growing up. Slowly he approached the door and put his hand up to touch it.

He was about to place his hand on the door when he froze and looked back at the cloaked figure that was now right next to him, "All I have to do is touch it?" Riku asked, "And my friends and I will be able to leave?"

The figure simply nodded, waiting in anticipation for Riku to comply. Taking a deep breath Riku closed his eyes and pressed his hand against the door.


	12. Chaos Begins

Chapter 12

Kairi looked out of her bedroom window at the small island where the raft was. She was completely oblivious when Hinata entered the room. Hinata plopped down on her bed and put her hands behind her head, leaning against the wall.

"You're not going to believe what Riku did," Hinata started telling Kairi, but then noticed her staring absently out the window, "Are you alright?" When Kairi didn't reply or even acknowledge her, Hinata got off the bed and walked over to her. Slightly shaking her shoulder she urged, "Kairi, what's wrong?"

Without looking away Kairi said, "Something's wrong. We need to get to the island…"

Hinata shook her head, "We can't, Hana is making dinner and this is our last night to spend time with this family. Maybe we can go after we eat."

Kairi pushed Hinata's hand off her shoulder, "No! We need to go now!" With that she climbed out of the window and jumped out. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she began running towards the beach, ignoring Hinata calling after her.

Hana frantically opened the bedroom door, "Is everything alright? What happened?"

Hinata quickly swung around and uncomfortably rubbed her hands together trying to figure out what to tell Hana that wouldn't worry her, "Oh uh… nothing, just forgot something in my boat, silly me!" She obviously lied, playfully hitting her head. "Kairi said she would go get it for me, but I'm just going to climb out of this window and go get her... and the thing… that I forgot...yeah."

Before Hana could call Hinata out on the blatant lie, Hinata quickly climbed out of the window and sprinted after Kairi. She made it to the beach just as Kairi was in her boat rowing away. Without pausing, Hinata ran into the water and climbed onto the boat.

Heaving, Hinata tried to catch her breath as she scolded Kairi, "What was that about? I might have wanted to come with you if you would explain what was wrong. Instead I probably got us in a load of trouble with Hana!"

Kairi just ignored Hinata completely and rowed towards the island. Hinata decided she would just find out the problem later and reached over to grab one the oars to assist in rowing. As the approached the island the sky began to become covered with dark clouds and thunder rumbled. The hairs on the back of Hinata's neck began to stand on end as a feeling of uneasiness settled in her gut.

Looking around Hinata asked, "What's going on?"

"Someone is opening the door." Was all Kairi said.

"What?" Hinata asked, "What door? How do you know?"

Kairi was silent and that only made Hinata feel even more anxious. The moment the boat reached the pier Kairi leaped off and ran towards the secret spot.

"Kairi, wait!" Hinata called after her, frantically tethering the boat.

Ignoring Hinata's calls Kairi sprinted into the cave. She didn't know why she was feeling drawn to the island. Something in her heart told her that something was very wrong. As she entered the cave she found Riku yelling in pain with his hand on the wooden door and a green glowing mist around him. Without thinking she ran up to Riku and pushed him off the door, telling him to run away.

Riku shook his head, trying to make out what was happening when he heard the voice from earlier in his heart. "Don't be afraid of the darkness." The voice then ordered him, "Go to the paopu tree." Riku hesitated, and the voice bellowed, "Go now!"

Quickly Riku scrambled out of the cave, ignoring that Kairi was now standing in front of the door. As he exited the cave he ran into Hinata, who was panicking as she saw everything transpire. The sky was now filled with lightning and the wind was causing sand and branches to fly freely through the air. Approaching Hinata, Riku tried to calm her down, to no avail.

"It's happening again! This is what happened to my home!" She panicked, saying over and over again.

Riku repeated Hinata's name multiple times, trying to get her attention. When she didn't listen he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him, "Hinata, look at me. Everything is going to be alright." Seeing Riku's calmness slightly settled Hinata down as Riku asked, "Do you trust me?" When Hinata simply nodded, Riku shook his head, "No, I need you to say it. Do you trust me?"

Tears began to stream down Hinata's face, "Yes, I trust you."

Riku grabbed her hand, "Then don't let go, no matter what happens."

Hinata tightly gripped his hand as Riku led her to the paopu tree. Every time she asked a question about why he was so calm, all he would say was that she had to trust him. As they were crossing the wooden bridge to the tree creatures began to spring up against them. They were black imp like creatures with yellow glowing eyes. Every time they moved they seemed to twitch their heads, as if they weren't in complete control of their actions. They sluggishly rushed after Riku and Hinata as they crossed the bridge.

Once they reached the paopu tree Riku stood motionless, staring out into the once blue ocean horizon. The water was now black as chunks of the island were now being torn apart and tossed into a forming orb in the sky. Hinata grabbed Riku's hand with both of hers as she desperately watched what was happening around them. Suddenly Sora came running up behind them, seemingly just as panicked as Hinata.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!" Sora yelled at Hinata terrified.

Before Hinata could reply, Riku said, "The door has opened…"

"What?" Hinata asked as her eyes widened, surprised to hear Riku refer to the same thing Kairi had earlier.

Ignoring Hinata, Riku turned around to speak to Sora, "The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!"

Getting frustrated Sora threw his hands in the air, "What are you talking about? We have to find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku yelled back. Hinata was now sure Riku knew exactly what was going on as he continued talking, "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance; we can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

Something in the back of Hinata's mind was telling her to run. It was telling her to get as far away from Riku as she could. Instead, she ignored the pleas and tightened her grip on Riku's hand. She had told him she trusted him, and she was going to stay true to that. Even if what Riku was doing didn't seem right, she had to stay by his side no matter what.

Riku reached his free hand towards Sora, offering him to take it.

Sora looked at him uneasily, "Riku…"

A black and blue mist surrounded their feet as Riku calmly stood with an outstretched arm. Sora gasped as he was reminded of his frightening and realistic dream from the day before. Frantically he reached out to grab Riku's hand, but he was barely out of reach and his feet suddenly felt glued to the ground. Looking down he saw a dark mass beginning to crawl up his body. No matter how hard he twisted and reached, Riku's hand was barely out of reach.

Hinata closed her eyes as she held on to Riku as tight as she could. She was sure she was hurting him immensely; however he didn't seem to notice or care. Instead he patiently waited for the darkness to completely envelop him. The moment they were completely covered in darkness they fell out of consciousness.

Wincing, Hinata opened her eyes. Her entire body was screaming in pain and even opening her eyes seemed to cause more effort than usual. She looked over and found Riku lying unconscious beside her and their hands were still grasped. Trying to examine her surroundings, she realized that they were no longer on the island.

Feeling suddenly light headed Hinata whispered before losing consciousness, "Where are we?"


	13. New World

Chapter 13

Riku fluttered his eyes open, his head was pounding with pain and his body stiff. He felt Hinata beginning to stir next to him as she too was beginning to wake up. Groaning, Riku struggled to his feet and examined his surroundings. They were on top of a large round stone floor that was surrounded by water. They seemed to be inside a chasm of some sort, yet the cliff walls were water. Riku cocked his head to the side as he noticed that the water seemed to be flowing upwards rather than falling. In front of the stone floor were floating ice bergs scattered upwards towards a large castle in the distance.

As Riku was looking around, Hinata slowly awakened. Bending down, Riku helped her up.

"Where are we?" Hinata asked as she stood.

"I have no idea." Riku answered, "I think we are on another world." Gasping he remembered his other friends and turned around wildly, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. "Sora! Kairi!" He yelled frantically. When there was no answer he sighed deeply and looked disappointed at the ground, muttering. "He said they would come with me…"

"What?" Hinata asked.

Widening his eyes, Riku realized he had that that aloud; flustering he said, "Oh, I just thought that Sora and Kairi would be with us."

Hinata was too distraught over everything that had just transpired to notice that Riku wasn't telling her the complete truth. Clasping her hands together in front of her, she looked at her feet and mumbled, "I can't believe what just happened. Our island, your home, is…. And everyone we knew…"

Turning towards Hinata, Riku assured her, "I am sure everyone else is alive and just on other worlds like we are."

"I hope you're right." Hinata sighed trying to keep herself from getting caught up in remorse over what happened. Then crossing her arms she looked up at Riku, "I wonder what caused it to happen… you and Kairi were both acting strange. Do you know anything?"

Riku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "No, I have no idea."

Hinata raised one of her eyebrows, "Really? Then what was that you were telling Sora about the door opening and not being afraid of the darkness?"

Closing his eyes, Riku thought about whether he should tell Hinata what happened with the cloaked figure. He had a feeling that she would be furious with him, and in the back of his mind he felt that she would have a right to be. His lust for adventure had become so strong that he trusted the words of an ominous being just because it promised him that he could leave. Pushing those thoughts away, Riku assured himself that he did what he had to do and that Hinata wouldn't understand.

Riku opened his eyes and gazed at the distant castle before saying, "Look, let's just drop it right now. We need to find a place to stay."

He began to walk forward to the first ice berg when Hinata grabbed his arm, "Alright fine, but promise you will tell me everything later."

Taking a deep breath Riku accepted, "I promise."

Smiling and letting go of his arm, Hinata followed Riku up the ice bergs. They worked together to jump from platform to platform. The higher they got the clearer the view of the castle became. As they reached the last ice berg they came upon what seemed like a stone court yard, or what was left of it. A stone arch marked the entry way and to the right of the platform floated a single raised ice chunk. Hinata looked around the courtyard, wondering what could have happened to make it look so destroyed. Looking at the arch something yearned inside her. She placed a hand on her heart and shook her head. Something seemed familiar about this place, but she couldn't quite place it. Her thoughts were interrupted when Riku called her over to the ice chunk. As she approached him, Riku climbed on top of the icy platform and pulled Hinata on as well. Once both of them were on, the platform began to rise. Yelping in surprise at the sudden movement, Hinata staggered into Riku who chuckled as he caught her.

The platform rose to a stair well and gave Hinata and Riku a clear view of the towering castle before them. The castle seemed to have mismatching properties, as if different people added elements to it overtime. It seemed to be the husk of an old beautiful palace with rusty machinery sticking off of it like a sore thumb. In the center of the building there was a gold outline of some sort of heart, except the bottom of it spread out into three separate parts; across the top of the heart gold thorns wrapped around it. As Riku and Hinata reached the top of the stairwell they saw that a large body of still water stood between them and the castle.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Hinata got a good look at the castle across the water. The familiar yearn from before tugged at her heart, only this time stronger. Putting her hands on her chest again she said, "This place seems so familiar… Could this be my home?"

Riku stopped walking when he heard Hinata's question and looked around, "Maybe, but didn't you say that your world didn't have any large bodies of water? This place is covered in it."

Hinata nodded, "I did… but why would this place seem so familiar to me? What if my memories were wrong?" She said, suddenly feeling unsure of herself.

Walking up to her and putting his hand on her shoulder Riku comforted, "We'll find your home, but first, we need to find out where we are right now."

Smiling up at Riku, Hinata said, "You're right." Looking at the castle she continued, "Can you believe you're actually on another world? Is it everything you were hoping for?"

Riku laughed, "I don't think it's really sunk in yet. Once we're settled in and find Sora and Kairi, I think it will be amazing." Looking at the body of water in front of the castle he asked, "How are we supposed to get to the castle from here? We can't swim that far."

As if on cue a large circular platform appeared in front of them. An intricate dark pattern contrasted the gold color of the platform that had the appearance of a bird cage. Riku shrugged and smirked at Hinata when it appeared and got onto it, with Hinata following close behind. Instantly the platform began moving towards the castle as Hinata and Riku went to the sides and watched themselves ascend over the water. Within a couple minutes they reached the castle and got off of their ride. Where they got off there were two pathways, one leading to a black gate and another leading to huge double doors.

Riku pointed towards the double doors, "That looks like an entrance, let's go that way."

Agreeing, Hinata followed Riku to the doors and helped him push them open to get inside. A large circular room was indoors. The walls were lined with columns and two stair ways on opposite sides of the room led to a second floor with a large door. Between the stair wells stood what seemed to be a fountain, however it was empty. Hinata looked up and saw a breathtaking chandelier. It was blue and gold with a single crystal in the middle that shined brilliantly. Her wonderment was interrupted when Riku gasped and pulled Hinata protectively behind him.

Before Hinata could ask what was wrong Riku told her, "Someone is in here with us."

Hinata followed Riku's gaze and felt her heart beat faster when she saw the figure he was talking about. A tall person, which Hinata assumed was a woman, stood in front of the large door on the second floor. She wore long draping robes that were black and purple. Upon her pale head were two black horns. Looking at Riku and Hinata she tapped her finger nails upon the green orb that was nestled in the brown staff she carried. Just seeing her caused both Riku and Hinata to feel perturbed.

"Who are you?" Riku tensely yelled keeping his arms stretched out protectively before Hinata.

"I could ask you the same thing." The woman replied, "You are after all, the ones barging into my home." When both Riku and Hinata were silent the woman continued, "I saw both of you when you first arrived, I know you are from another world."

"Where are we?" Riku asked, glaring.

The woman smiled wickedly as she noticed Riku's glare, "Why this is Hallow Bastion of course."

Riku glanced back at Hinata, seemingly asking her if the name sounded familiar. When she shook her head he looked back at the woman trying to figure what to say. The feeling in his gut told him that this woman was not to be trusted, but he and Hinata had no weapons to protect themselves and they needed a place to stay. Sighing he asked, "Do you know where we can find a place to stay?"

Raising one of her already high eyebrows the woman said, "You are welcome to stay here. I need only know your names."

Looking back at Hinata, who shrugged, he resigned to the woman and replied, "I'm Riku and this is Hinata."

Walking down the left flight of stair towards them the woman placed her hand on her chest, "And my name in Maleficent."

Riku lowered his arms and slightly relaxed. He still didn't trust this Maleficent, yet he was relieved he and Hinata had a place to stay. As Maleficent told them to follow her to their room, Riku reached back and grabbed Hinata's hand in reassurance. He could tell that she was just as uneasy as he was about their new host. Maleficent led them down a long hallway lined with torches lit with green flames being held by gargoyles. Soon they stopped in front of a brown door with a frame surrounded by a thin gold design. Maleficent opened the door ushering Riku and Hinata inside.

The room had a blue floor with gold designs strewn through it. A single window showed a pleasant view of the surrounding castle and the water outside. The room was mostly bare, spare for a queen size bed and a wooden wardrobe. Hinata sighed as she entered the room, relieved that their living space wasn't as strange as the rest of the castle.

"I'm afraid this is the only furnished room at the moment." Maleficent said as Riku and Hinata entered, "Now, if you'll excuse me I need to let the other residents know that you will be staying here and the conditions of you living here." She quickly left the room and shut the door. "Stay here until I return." She ordered, locking the door from the outside.

As she strode away from the door she could hear them rattling the door knob trying to get it open. She sneered and snickered to herself at their attempt of escape.

"Hey!" she heard Riku call through the door, "I thought you said you only needed our names!"

"Oh do not worry my dear. It will only be a trifle." Maleficent called behind her as she continued walking.

Once she was out of ear shot she swung her staff into the air and out of it came a green glowing mist that enraptured her. In an instant she disappeared from the dark hallway and appeared in a dark room. In the center of the room stood a circular stone ledge protruding from the floor and on top of the stone was a glowing image of Riku still trying to open the door and Hinata sitting slumped on the edge of the bed. Surrounding the stone were five figures, each of them bickering about what had just transpired until a flash of green mist filled the room.

The green mist was instantly replaced by Maleficent as she appeared and the five arguing individuals fell silent. Maleficent walked up to the stone in the center of the room.

Hades, the god of the underworld, spoke up, breaking the silence "Why are you making nice with those runts?"

"Yeah," agreed Ursula, a large woman who was half octopus. "So what those poor souls lost their home? Turn them into Heartless, that will settle things quick enough."

A large burlap sack shaped poorly like a man pushed Ursula out of the way, much to her dismay, his seams teeming with squabbling bugs, "Let me at them! I could use some new victims to gamble with."

"Oogie Boogie! You disgusting little…" Ursula started, getting ready to squash Oogie Boogie like the annoying insect he was.

"Enough!" Maleficent bellowed hitting her staff hard on the ground to get everyone's attention. When everyone fell to silence she looked at the glowing image of Hinata and Riku, "That boy has seeds of darkness within him. He could prove quite useful."

Captain Hook, a well-dressed yet intimidating man with a hook for a hand, interjected, "What about that brat's friend?" The pirate pointed his hook probingly at the image, "What of her?"

Maleficent began tapping her fingernails on the orb on her staff before answering, "She could pose a problem if we do not handle this situation with the upmost caution. That boy is protective of her."

"That girl seems like more trouble than she's worth." Jafar, a vizier holding a serpent staff, commented, "Why worry about her? With or without her, surely we can influence that boy's darkness."

Closing her eyes in frustration, Maleficent countered, "If we rid ourselves of her too hastily, that may very well cause the boy to turn against us. We need him on our side if he is to prove useful. With the right manipulation and timing that girl will be the one to push him in the wrong direction. Then he will rid of her for us."

"And how exactly are you planning on that happening?" Hades asked, "Doesn't seem like that boy trusts you."

A mischievous smile spread across Maleficent's face, "All in good time."

******Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! So happy we are finally getting into the game. Please let me know what you think!******


	14. Help Me Help You

Chapter 14

Riku rattled and pulled at the brass door knob trying to get the door open while Hinata lay back on the bed. They had been locked in the room for over an hour and were beginning to lose hope. Groaning, Riku finally gave up and turned his back to the door slumping to the floor. Once sitting he hit his head against the door in frustration. He was about to complain to Hinata about their predicament when they could hear the door being unlocked from the other side. Springing to his feet, Riku backed away and stood by Hinata, who got up from the bed.

Hinata scowled when Maleficent entered the room, "What do you want?" She grated.

Maleficent put her hand gracefully to her mouth in false shock, "My, my, I see that both of you do not take kindly to strangers."

"Not to ones who lock us up the moment we meet." Hinata countered.

Widening her eyes in fake surprise, Maleficent said, "Locked you up? I'm afraid we've had a slight misunderstanding. I only kept you in here for your own protection."

"I seriously doubt that." Riku accused, crossing his arms.

Waving her hand in the air she explained, "Believe what you will. As you could see when you arrived, this world is in shambles; a mere husk of its former glory. Without proper supervision, it can be quite dangerous for either of you."

"We can take care of ourselves." Riku pointed out.

"As I am sure you can." Maleficent agreed, "However, without weapons I do not think either of you would last long." Before Riku or Hinata could interject again, she got to her point of coming in. "A feast has been arranged for your arrival. I am sure you must be hungry. Once there, we can further discuss your living arrangements."

She moved away from the doorway and held her arm out, as to imply that Riku and Hinata were to exit. Exchanging concerned glances, Riku and Hinata slowly left the room. Maleficent closed the door behind her as she exited the room as well. She made sure to keep Riku and Hinata within sight, to assure they wouldn't bolt away at a feeble attempt of escape. Neither of them made such a move, solemnly realizing that without a weapon, they were basically helpless. Maleficent led them to an elegant banquet hall. An exact replica of the chandelier from the entrance hall hung above a large room with stone flooring and purple walls. Along the walls were lit golden torches nicely illuminating the dining space. In the center of the room there was a long mahogany table lined with various foods and dining utensils and surrounded by chairs. The entire area was a unique contrast to the previous gloomy halls.

As Riku and Hinata entered the banquet hall with Maleficent, they could feel their mouths begin to water when they saw the food prepared on the table. They had been so caught up in the events as of late and had completely overlooked their need to eat. Maleficent led them to the table and allowed them to take a seat. Momentarily putting aside their suspicion of what was going on, they hungrily filled their plates. Freshly cooked vegetables and meats were gorgeously displayed as well as foreign fruits that neither Riku nor Hinata had ever seen before. Completely forgetting that Maleficent was even there, the two of them tried new things and ate their fill. Maleficent stood back near the wall as they ate waiting patiently for them to finish.

Hinata took one last bite of a turquoise fruit she had decided was her new favorite food, before leaning back in her chair and putting her hands on her belly, "Aw man. I ate way too much."

Riku laughed, as he mimicked Hinata and agreed, "Yeah, I haven't eaten that much in a long time."

"I trust you both enjoyed your meals." Maleficent called out as she walked away from the wall. Riku and Hinata instantly sat up and tensed as they remembered where they were.

"Why are you being so nice to us?" Hinata asked Maleficent, "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Maleficent's eyes widened as if she was being wrongly accused, "There is no catch."

"Why did you bring us here?" Riku said to Maleficent, not believing a word she was saying.

Maleficent stood at the head of the table, "I believe we can make a deal with each other."

Riku scoffed and crossed his arms, "Heh, like that's ever going to happen."

"Very well, do what you will;" Maleficent waved her hand in the air, "I was only going to offer to find your friends, Sora and Kairi for you."

Hinata and Riku gasped and looked at each other surprised. Hinata looked up at Maleficent, "How did you know we were looking for our friends?"

"I know a great deal of things." Maleficent smiled.

Riku stood up from his chair and asked, "You know where they are?"

"I have ways to find them if need be." Maleficent said.

"How?" Hinata asked standing up.

"I can make the arrangements, if…" Maleficent baited.

Slumping back into his chair Riku realized that Maleficent had them right where she wanted them, "What do you want us to do?"

Maleficent waved her hand over the green orb on her staff, bringing up an image of a young girl with blonde hair and a blue dress. "I need you to retrieve this young maiden, Alice. She recently ran away to a land called Wonderland."

Riku stared at the image of Alice, "Why do you need us to do it? If you want her back so badly go get her yourself."

Maleficent closed her eyes in frustration, Riku and Hinata's stubbornness was beginning to wear at her patience. She was beginning to wish she could lash out at them and force them to do her bidding; however, if her plan was going to work, she needed them to accept of their own free will.

"Both of us need to find people. You find Alice and in return I will find your friends." Maleficent explained before turning to walk away, "But alas, if you do not want my help, I suppose there is nothing to be done."

"Wait!" Riku irately called after her hating being played, then looked over at Hinata and said quietly, "I think we should do it."

Maleficent stopped when she heard Riku's voice, but didn't turn around.

"Are you crazy?" Hinata whispered to Riku, "Are you honestly going to trust her?"

"Do you have any better ideas? We have no weapons and no way to get off this place." Riku replied, "If we do this, we can at least go to a different world, and maybe even find Sora and Kairi. Plus, what's wrong with retrieving a girl that ran away?"

Hinata glanced over at Maleficent and sighed, "I'll trust you on this, but something doesn't feel right. I don't think she's telling us everything."

Riku smiled uneasily at Hinata and whispered, "I agree." Then he stood up and called out to Maleficent, "We'll do it."

Turning around to face them, Maleficent had a roguish grin on her face as she said, "I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear that."

*****Author's Note- Sorry this chapter is so short! Rest assured though, next chapter will probably be the longest yet! Thank you everyone for reading! Please let me know what you think! *****


	15. A Day in Wonderland

Chapter 15

Hinata was awoken from her restless slumber when an automated voice came over and intercom, "You have arrived at your destination. Please beam down whenever is convenient."

Yawning, she rubbed her eyes as Riku looked out on the world below them through the windshield of the ship. They were inside a gummi ship that Maleficent had them use to get to Wonderland. The entire ship was white with black accents and rockets protruding from the back. Inside the ship there were two areas; a cockpit up front with two seats for controlling the ship and a back room with two beds and a small table. Five hours had passed since they first took off from Hallow Bastion. Maleficent had locked the ship on auto pilot, so the two of them could not easily hijack the ship.

Slowly, she sat up from the stiff bed she had been lying on and walked towards the cockpit where Riku was analyzing the world below. When she was by his side she asked, "Well, what do you think? Does it seem like a nice place?"

Riku crossed his arms and laughed, "I really can't tell from here. I see a lot of trees though; a lot more than were ever on the island." Noticing Hinata was yawning again he asked, "Didn't sleep well?"

"Yeah, that bed is not in any way comfortable," Hinata complained, "I'm surprised you didn't sleep."

Shaking his head Riku replied, "There is way too much going on for me to even try to sleep. Things will be better once we find Sora and Kairi." Turning away from the window he headed back to the next room to get ready to leave.

Hinata watched with concern as Riku turned away. He hadn't slept since they woke up in Hallow Bastion; nearly forty-eight hours had passed since then. There was no way he wasn't the least bit tired. Sighing, she hoped that maybe he would sleep on their trip back after they retrieved Alice. Looking down at the world through the window, she wondered what they were going to see. She was both excited and nervous to experience it; yet still couldn't shake the feeling that what they were doing was wrong.

Riku walked back into the cockpit and handed Hinata a tan satchel. "Here is the bag Maleficent gave us before we left."

Opening it, Hinata saw small bottles of liquid and a small clear tin filled with little cookies with the words 'eat me' written with icing. Hinata picked up the one of the bottles and looked at the clear liquid inside it, "She said that the bottle makes us smaller and the cookies bigger, right?"

"Yeah," Riku said, "Not sure I like the sound of that though. What type of place requires you to change size?"

"I guess we'll find out," Hinata replied, placing the bottle back in the bag, "Are you ready?"

Riku nodded as he grabbed a small square device and explained, "Apparently this is supposed to allow us to immediately come back to the ship when we need to." He pointed to a button in the corner of the device, "I just press that button there. When we get Alice we just have to make sure both of you are next to me then we can quickly get back here."

Looking at the device Hinata asked, "How do you know that?"

"While you were sleeping Maleficent called the ship and told me about it." Riku replied, clipping the device to one of his belt loops. "She also told me that these things can work as some sort of radio so we can keep her updated on our mission."

Hinata thought about what Riku said before replying, "I really don't trust, let alone like Maleficent… but this is pretty cool; going on a mission on another world."

Chuckling, Riku agreed "Yeah it is." Pausing he reached his hand over to the control board of the ship and got ready to press the button that would allow them to beam down to the planet, "Remember that we are supposed to get Alice and get out."

Hinata nodded her consent as Riku pressed his hand down on the button and instantly they were surrounded by a bright light that caused them to close their eyes. Within a couple seconds they arrived on the planet's surface. Looking around at their surroundings they saw that they were on what looked like a beach with small sea shells strewn about. The sky above them was dark and cloudy and the air was cold.

"So far doesn't seem much different than our island." Riku noted.

"Except for that," Hinata said grabbing Riku's arm and pointing towards a group of animals.

Turning to see what Hinata was referring to, Riku's mouth gaped open at the sight they beheld. On a large rock stood what seemed to be a large dodo bird wearing a small black hat, a light blue vest, and a navy suit jacket. The bird was smoking from a pipe as it danced by a small lit fire. Around the rock ran a small circle of various animals; star fish, lobsters, fish, and different types of birds. A large wave crashed over the small animals as they ran, yet it didn't seem to faze them in the slightest as when the water receded they kept their running pace.

"Wh-what?" Riku asked, bewildered by what he was seeing, "What are they doing?"

The dodo bird noticed Riku and waved at him, "Why we are keeping dry of course!"

Before Riku or Hinata could answer another wave crashed through and a small girl with blonde hair and a blue dress was left behind by the water. She laid face down in the way of the animal's running circle, which also did not faze them as they simply ran on top of her. Sputtering she tried to get up as Hinata instantly recognized her.

"That's Alice!" Hinata told Riku as she ran over to the animals to help Alice.

Shooing some of the animals out of the way, much to their dismay, Hinata held out her hand to help Alice to stand up.

"Why thank you very much." Alice curtsied and thanked Hinata. Just then a small white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and holding a watch ran past Alice into nearby woods saying something about being late. Seeing the rabbit pass her, Alice instantly bolted after it calling back to Hinata, "I'm terribly sorry for leaving in a rush, but I'm following that white rabbit!"

Hinata called after Alice with no avail. She shrugged at Riku who was still watching the animals run and dance with a confused face. Shaking her head she grabbed Riku's arm and led him into the woods after Alice. Once inside the woods they quickly found Alice darting from tree to tree as if she was looking for something. She noticed Riku and Hinata but did not take much time to acknowledge them.

"Now where do you suppose he could be hiding?" Alice asked.

"Who?" Riku asked, missing the interaction with Alice earlier.

"Why the white rabbit of course." Alice asked, "Oh dear, I do hope I haven't lost him. I have been trying to follow him all day."

Riku was about to start looking when he shook his head, remembering why they were there in the first place, "Actually we are here to bring you back home."

Alice, who had bent down to look inside a log, stood up straight and looked at Riku and Hinata, "How do you know where I live? I have no memory of either of you."

"Maleficent sent us to come get you," Hinata explained, taking a couple steps towards Alice, "To bring you back to Hallow Bastion."

"Hallow what?" Alice asked, putting her hands on her hips, "I've never heard of such a place."

"Look kid," Riku said, beginning to become annoyed at Alice's resistance, "We know you ran away. The gig is up; it's time to go home."

"Well I'll be!" Alice huffed, offended, "I most certainly did not run away!"

Riku threw his hand in the air, "I don't care if you did or not! We're just here to follow orders. Now come on! We're bringing you back whether you like it or not."

Slowly Alice took a couple steps back from the two strangers as Hinata put her hand on Riku's shoulder and said frustrated, "Riku, don't talk like that to her. You'll scare her off." Looking at the scared Alice she assured her, "We aren't here to hurt you, just to help you get home."

"Well I'm afraid I will not be going with you!" Alice yelled as she turned and ran off into the forest.

"Alice, wait!" Hinata called after Alice, before putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Riku.

Riku crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and ignored Hinata's glare, "I just told her the truth."

Hinata sighed deeply as she walked in the direction Alice went, "Well next time could you be a little nicer about it?"

Opening his eyes, Riku realized that Hinata started walking without him, "Hey wait up!" He called as he jogged to catch up. Once beside her he asked, "Where do you think she went?"

Before Hinata could answer they heard someone yelling, "Help! Monster! Help, assistance!"

Hinata and Riku gave each other worried looks, as Maleficent had not given them any weapons to defend themselves. Suddenly the white rabbit from before came sprinting towards them, yelling. Once he reached Hinata and Riku he grabbed one of their hands and pointed further into the woods, "A monster! A monster grew in my house!"

Frantically he led them to his home as Hinata and Riku tried to tell him they were busy, but he didn't listen in the slightest. As they approached his home Hinata broke out laughing at the sight. Before them stood a quaint two story home with a straw roof and sticking out rather inexplicably were two long human arms sticking out of windows on either side of the second story window and two legs under the first floor. Broken furniture was thrown about in the front yard as the white rabbit hysterically pulled at his ears in panic as he hopped around.

A loud voice could be heard from inside the home, "Who's there?" The girl's voice spoke reaching their hands to open window shutters that were centered in the front of the home. As she opened the shutters she spotted Riku and Hinata, "Oh no, not you two again."

Hinata attempted to stop laughing and in between breaths she asked, "How did you get stuck in there?"

"Well I was inside looking for the rabbit's gloves when…" Alice began to explain, and then remembered she did not like Riku or Hinata. She attempted to cross her arms, which only rattled the house and caused the rabbit to yell out in horror as his home was being destroyed, "I'm sorry; I do not wish to speak with you."

Riku grabbed the satchel they had with them and took out one of the glass bottles, "We have a liquid that can make you small again!"

"I don't want it!" Alice said.

"So you want to stay that size forever?" Riku asked.

Alice stayed silent for a moment before reaching for the bottle and saying, "I really shouldn't be drinking something from a stranger."

"What?" Hinata asked, surprised to see Alice doing the opposite of what she was saying.

"Oh, just giving myself some good advice." Alice replied as she drank the entire bottle, instantly shrinking down.

Riku ran inside the home that was completely wrecked trying to find Alice. When he couldn't find her he called out to Hinata, "I don't see her!"

Hinata was about to enter the house when she saw a small blue creature run by her feet. She almost completely disregarded it, thinking it was some sort of insect, when she did a double take. "Was that Alice?" She asked.

"What was?" Riku asked, running up to Hinata to see if she found Alice.

Hinata pointed towards the blue creature that was still running towards away from the home into the woods, "That small creature."

Riku took out another one of the bottles from the satchel and looked at the liquid, "I guess there is one way to find out."

He handed a bottle to Hinata and took one for himself. Together they popped off the cork lid and tapped their glasses together before taking a sip.

"Tastes just like that turquoise fruit!" Hinata exclaimed taking another sip.

"No, it tastes just like lime sherbet!" Riku said as he also took another sip.

Neither of them noticed they were both shrinking with each sip until the bottles they were drinking from towered over them. They staggered back from the glasses and looked around at the now giant furniture from the rabbit's house.

"I guess it worked!" Hinata commented beginning to walk towards the woods where Alice ran.

Riku followed close behind as they walked through the grass that was twice as tall as them. They walked forward, completely unsure if they were even heading in the right direction. After a long while of exploring Hinata spoke up, "Why do you think Alice said she wasn't from Hallow Bastion?"

Shrugging Riku said, "I don't know. Maleficent said she ran away, maybe she is just trying to get out of going back."

Hinata asked, "What if she was telling the truth and Maleficent is the one lying?"

"Maybe," Riku said, "But then why would Maleficent want to kidnap a little girl? The way I see it, there is nothing for her to gain from kidnapping that kid."

"I don't know," Hinata considered, "We haven't seen anyone else around Hallow Bastion besides Maleficent. I just can't imagine a girl like Alice living there."

"Who cares?" Riku said exasperated, "If getting her is going to help us find Sora and Kairi I think we should do it, whether or not it's where she lives."

"Oh…okay" Hinata mumbled under her breath. She didn't like Riku's view on the subject, but stayed silent about it as to not bring attention away from the mission. Taking a deep breath she said, "You're probably right, she's just making it up that she doesn't live in Hallow Bastion. I'm sorry; I'm just over thinking it."

Riku jogged up to meet Hinata's pace and grabbed her hand smiling with reassurance, "It's alright. Have to say it's nice to hear you apologize for once rather than you making me grate out an apology."

Hinata laughed and squeezed Riku's hand back, "Whatever! I don't make you do anything!"

They laughed together as they approached what appeared to be a field of flowers that towered above them. As they pushed the thick stems out of the way for entry a sweet smell filled their senses and beautiful colors surrounded them. They walked together and looked in wonderment at their gorgeous surroundings. Their amazement was interrupted when they heard what sounded like multiple voices singing in the distance.

"What do you suppose that is?" Hinata asked pulling Riku forward as she ran towards the singing.

Riku laughed, "Don't forget why we're here. Looking for Alice, remember?"

"Which is exactly why I want to see who is singing," Hinata answered smiling, "You never know, Alice might be there too."

"Uh-huh," Riku said, "I'm sure that's the only reason."

Before Riku and Hinata could find the voices the singing ceased and was replaced by yells and various loud noises. One of which was distinctively Alice's scream. Letting go of each other's hand, Riku and Hinata sprinted towards the scream, pushing stems and leaves out of their way until they reached a clearing with innumerable flowers surrounding them. The sounds they were hearing just a second ago had ceased and there was no one in sight.

Hinata cupped her hands around her mouth, "Alice! Alice are you alright?"

Riku and Hinata looked around the clearing trying to find anyone who could have been responsible when they heard whispers behind them.

Turning around Riku yelled, "Who's there?" When no one replied he continued searching when he heard more whispers. Then he said, "Look, we can hear you! We know you're there. Just come out here."

"We are out here, dear!" A red rose bent down to face Riku.

Riku staggered back in surprise and looked wide eyed at the surrounding flowers as they all began to move and eye him and Hinata. Walking up beside Riku, Hinata asked, "Oh, so were you the ones we heard singing earlier?"

"Sure were!" A small group of daffodils rang out, "Want to hear another song?"

Hinata got excited, "Really?"

"No!" A pompous purple flower shoved into Hinata's face, making her fall back, "We know what you are!"

"We do?" The other flowers asked in unison and then all began chattering trying to figure out what Riku and Hinata were. All the while poking and prodding them with their leaves and petals.

Riku quickly lost his wonderment of seeing talking flowers when they began pestering and touching him. He angrily swatted at their leaves and wished he had a weapon with him to make them stop. Hinata at first thought it was fun, but also began to become bothered by not being able to get a single word in to explain their situation.

"They are the same species as the previous visitor!" The purple flower bellowed, analyzing Riku and Hinata through thin rimmed glasses it held to its eyes, "Common mobile vulgaris!"

"What are going on about?" Riku yelled, quickly getting fed up.

"You're weeds!" The purple flower hollered getting in Riku and Hinata's faces.

"What?" Riku asked motioning towards himself, "Do I look like a weed to you?"

"If you aren't a weed what are you?" A white daisy asked.

"A human," Riku said rather irate, "You know the big creatures that pick you out of the ground to make bouquets? I'm one of those things!"

All the flowers began to murmur to each other as Riku crossed his arms in frustration and Hinata stayed silent, taken aback by Riku's outburst. Turning back to Riku and Hinata the rose said, "Aren't you a little small to be a human?"

Grumbling under his breath Riku grabbed the satchel and took out one of the small cookies. He broke off a tiny crumb and handed it to Hinata who did the same. Tossing the crumbs into their mouths Riku and Hinata began to grow back to their normal size. Once finally being above the flowers, Riku glared down at the flowers cowering and chattering below.

"You aren't going to pick them are you?" Hinata asked, concerned.

Riku looked up at Hinata and instantly stormed off calling back, "Of course not! I'm not a monster!"

Relieved, Hinata followed after him and was especially careful not to step on any flowers along the way. They walked out of the flower garden and back into more woods. Everything was beginning to look the same and they grew worried that they were losing their way. After a couple hours they finally reached a clearing that had multiple dirt roads going off in different directions and three big trees covered in signs trying to lead passer byers in different directions.

Entering the clearing Riku saw all of the roads and groaned, "I hate this place…"

Hinata plopped down on the ground from exhaustion, "At this rate we'll never find Alice."

"Did you say Alice?" A strange voice echoed through the air.

Riku completely ignored the voice as Hinata stood up to find the source of the voice, "Yes, I did. Who are you?" She called out.

"The Cheshire Cat of course," the voice spoke as a floating smiling set of teeth appeared above a tree branch. Hinata gasped and tugged at Riku's arm telling him to look as the set of teeth was soon joined by two glowing eyes and pink striped body, altogether creating a large lounging cat.

"Did you lose something, or rather, someone?" The Cheshire Cat cooed, leaning its head on one of its paws.

"Yes actually," Hinata answered, "Have you seen a little girl named Alice come through here?"

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers but doesn't always tell." It said as it removed its head and began holding it in one of its paws.

Hinata cocked her head to the side when she saw the cat pull off his head, "That's probably the oddest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"That was beyond helpful, thanks." Riku jeered sarcastically at the Cheshire Cat, grabbing Hinata's arm he said, "Come on, let's go. Maybe we can call Maleficent and ask her what to do."

The cat disappeared and reappeared right in front of Riku, making him jump back in surprise. "This girl Alice, who you seek, did not know her way. You better get to her soon, before she loses her head."

"Loses her head?" Hinata asked behind Riku.

"It's the queen's way!" The cat informed her getting an eerily low voice when he said queen.

"There's a queen here?" Riku asked, "Is she the one responsible for all this madness?"

"Most everyone is mad here." The cat chuckled.

"I hadn't noticed," Riku sighed once again being sarcastic, "How can we get to this queen? Is Alice with her?"

The cat disappeared once again and reappeared on top of a tree limb. "I would take the short cut, just like Alice did," the Cheshire Cat told them pushing down a small branch revealing a secret door that led to a hedge garden.

Riku felt somewhat relieved as he and Hinata went through the opening into the queen's garden. Finally they were getting somewhere.

*****Author's Note- Yeah, most definitely the longest chapter yet! Riku just hates Wonderland and he never even met the Mad Hatter! I think I would too if I ever went there. I hope you enjoyed Riku and Hinata in Wonderland so far! Please let me know what you think ****J*********


	16. Getting Alice

Chapter 16

With no trees looming over head the sun shined brightly in the sky, causing Riku and Hinata to squint when they walked through the shortcut the Cheshire Cat had shown them into the Queen's garden. Riku had just about enough of Wonderland and hoped that once they grabbed Alice, they would never have to return again. He groaned once he and Hinata looked at their surroundings and found that they were in what seemed to be a hedge maze.

"How are we supposed to find Alice in this maze?" Riku asked throwing his arms in the air in frustration.

"We'll find her," Hinata assured him, "At least we know she's in this area."

"According to that cat anyways," Riku replied, "Not sure how much I trust his word."

"Then, just be happy we are out of the woods and finally in some sunlight," Hinata said, trying to get Riku to look on the bright side.

Riku grunted as he began to walk forward down one of the many hedge passes. Hinata followed behind, beginning to worry about Riku's wellbeing. Especially since it had been so long since he last slept. She was sure that was the main reason he was blowing a fuse at everyone he met. Feeling bad that he was so over tired and exasperated, she ran to catch up to Riku and kissed him on the cheek.

Surprised, Riku stopped walking and put a hand onto his cheek, "What was that for?"

Hinata shrugged as she continued walking, "I don't know. Just felt like it."

A small smile appeared on Riku's face as he jogged up to Hinata and nudged her, "Well thanks."

Hinata just smiled as they walked, hoping she somewhat improved Riku's mood. They continued navigating through the hedge maze, looking for Alice, when they finally heard her voice in the distance. She seemed to be talking others. Quickly Hinata and Riku rushed towards Alice's voice, hoping to finally complete their mission. Riku ran faster than Hinata and was about to turn a corner when he stopped in his tracks, and put his arm out to stop Hinata as well. Hinata was about to ask him what was wrong when he simply put up his finger telling her to remain silent.

Standing behind him, Hinata peered around the corner as Riku was doing, to see what he was looking at. In a clearing she saw Alice and three beings next to her all face down on the ground. Hinata raised an eyebrow as she realized that the beings next to Alice seemed to be living club playing cards, only a few feet tall rather than a few inches. In front of them stood multiple red heart playing cards and a heavyset woman wearing a long dress that was half red and half black. She wore a small golden crown on top of her wiry black hair and held a small scepter with a heart on the end of it. The woman screamed, making Riku and Hinata startle.

"Off with their heads!" She screamed, pointing her scepter at Alice and the cards.

"Oh no," Hinata whispered, about to leave her and Riku's hiding spot in an attempt to save Alice.

Riku grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "We don't have weapons remember? Barging in will only get us killed."

Hinata looked back at the scene worried. Then she was surprised when dozens of red heart playing cards that surrounded the woman cheered as they dragged the other club cards away, leaving Alice standing alone in front of the woman. The woman seemed to take a quick liking to Alice and whisked her away.

Once they were out of sight Riku took a deep breath and leaned his back against the hedge sitting down, "I think we can assume that's the queen."

Hinata put her hands on her hips, "I wonder what those cards did to have her order to have their heads chopped off?"

Riku shrugged, "Who knows? It isn't our problem." When he noticed the look he was getting from Hinata he said, "It's not like there is anything we can do about it even if we knew what happened." He grabbed the small black device on his pants and looked at it, "I think we should call Maleficent to tell her what happened."

Hinata sat down next to Riku as he tried to figure out how to call Maleficent. In a couple minutes a light came on and an image of Maleficent's face appeared.

"What news do you have?" Maleficent asked, looking straight at Riku.

"We found Alice, but the queen just got her and took her inside the palace." Riku explained, "It would help if we had weapons so we could get her out."

Maleficent shook her head, "Weapons will not be necessary. The Queen of Hearts beheads anyone who stands in her way, whether they are guilty of anything or not. I believe this situation calls for Heartless."

Riku gave Hinata a confused look before asking, "What are Heartless?"

"When a person loses their heart to the darkness a Heartless is created. If one steeps into the darkness, it is possible to control them." Maleficent explained quickly.

Hinata began to feel uneasy about the whole situation as Riku simply asked, "How are they supposed to help us?"

"The heartless can also take other people's hearts. Specifically the Queen of Hearts, in this situation." Maleficent explained.

"Take her heart?" Hinata protested, "Why would we want to do that? We're only here for Alice!"

"Silence," Maleficent yelled through the device, receiving a threatening look from Riku, but ignoring it, "As the Heartless take care of the queen, retrieve Alice." After finishing she ended the call, leaving Riku and Hinata to figure out the rest.

Riku clipped the device back to one of his belt loops and stood up. He reached out his hand to help Hinata up and noticed she once again looked worried. "Look, I know this isn't the ideal way to get Alice, but it's what we've got. You were just worried about those card creatures getting beheaded; maybe getting the queen out of the picture will save their lives."

Hinata took Riku's hand as he helped her up and then crossed her arms, "It just doesn't feel right. We don't even know who the queen is and here we are sending creatures to take her heart."

"She can't be all that great if she orders everything to get their head chopped off!" Riku retorted and when Hinata didn't respond he sighed, "Alright, we better find a way to sneak in and get Alice."

Hinata silently followed Riku as they walked in the direction Alice had gone. They found Alice with the queen in a large grass clearing with red heart card men surrounding the hedge walls. Peering from around the corner, Riku wondered what they were doing. The queen seemed to be holding some sort of long necked neon colored bird and was using to hit a small rolled up hedgehog. When she hit the hedgehog, some red cards ran around the field to create arches for the rolling animal to go through.

Standing behind Riku, Hinata said, "I think they are playing some sort of croquet."

"That's nothing like any croquet I've ever played." Riku mumbled, looking around trying to spot something that would resemble a Heartless.

As everyone was busy congratulating the queen on her play a small black imp like creature appeared on the opposite end on the clearing from Hinata and Riku.

Hinata gasped as she saw the creature, "That's the same type of creature that attacked the island!"

Riku shushed her, and checked to see if anyone noticed Hinata's outburst. Thankfully, they were still busy with the queen. Sighing relieved, Riku whispered, "Look, we can't focus on that right now. We need to get Alice. We can talk about it once we're done with this mission."

Nodding, Hinata agreed and decided that she needed to focus on the reason they were there. Questions could be asked later. They watched as the small black creature scurried through the crowd, trying to make its way to the queen.

"How does it know who to go after?" Riku wondered.

"Maleficent did say that it's possible to control the Heartless. Maybe she told it to go straight for the queen." Hinata replied.

The creature didn't make it very far as some cards that were not paying attention trampled it.

Hinata laughed, "Not very bright is it?"

As she said that, multiple new creatures appeared, surrounding the queen and her subjects; thankfully ignoring Hinata and Riku. Some of them were similar to the one that was just trampled, but the others were completely different. A few of them floated through the air and would randomly shake, causing small streaks of electricity to shoot to the ground. Others were the size of small children with red claws and metal hats. The only similarity between all of them was their glowing yellow eyes. The arrival of the Heartless caught the attention of everyone in the clearing. Alice screamed in fright and ran behind one of the cards as the queen's face turned beet red and it almost seemed like steam was rising out of her hair.

"Who dares enter my garden unannounced?" The queen bellowed, losing her temper. The creatures didn't answer as they simply twitched and stared at the queen, only making her more furious. She turned towards her guards and yelled, "Off with their heads!"

The guards trembled as they lined up defensively with their spears in front of the Heartless, getting ready to fight for their queen. Instantly the Heartless sprang towards the cards. Some of the cards managed to hurl their spears, breaking through their enemy's skin, causing them to disintegrate. Despite their efforts, however, more Heartless were able to claw through the thin soldiers. Every time a soldier fell a shining heart would float into the air before being consumed by a black and green mist. Hinata watched confused as she saw the hearts float away wondering where they were going, as Riku was entranced by the battle before him.

Seeing that her soldiers were quickly losing this battle, the queen screamed, "Retreat!"

A couple cards grabbed Alice as they followed the queen as she ran away, leaving the rest of her army to cope with the Heartless. As the queen retreated, Hinata and Riku quickly left their hiding spot and ran after them. Somehow the queen had been faster than them and they quickly lost sight of her.

Stopping to catch their breath Hinata heaved, "Well that backfired."

Riku stood up and kicked the ground, causing a clump of grassy dirt to fling out of the ground, "We were so close that time! Now we have no idea where they are!"

Hinata put her hands on her hips as she looked around. Her eyes caught sight of a small tree with white roses that seemed to have red paint on their petals. Confused she walked over to it and examined them. Rubbing one of the petals she asked, "Why would you paint a rose red?"

"Why indeed?" A familiar voice rang through the air. On top of the tree the Cheshire Cat slowly appeared, lounging. Then pointing towards a path in the hedges he said, "She went that way."

Hinata backed away from the tree surprised as she asked, "Who did?"

"Alice." The cat replied.

"She did?" Riku asked walking by Hinata.

The cat looked confused, "She did what?"

Riku pointed where the Cheshire Cat did, "She went that way."

"Who did?" The cat replied.

"Alice!" Hinata said, starting to get frustrated.

"I don't know anyone by that name." The cat replied.

"Of course you don't." Riku remarked staring down the path the cat had pointed down, not sure he wanted to take the word of a crazy cat on where Alice was.

"However, if I was looking for an Alice," the cat began taking off its head and balancing on top of it. "I would try to find her swiftly; the queen is in quite the beheading mood."

Hinata and Riku looked at each other worried. They knew they had to find Alice soon but had no idea where she was. Then Riku looked back at the cat and said, "Look cat,-"

"Cheshire Cat, if you please," The cat interrupted picking up its head and lifting his ears as if he was tipping a hat.

Riku waved his hand in dismissal, "Whatever you're called. If you know where Alice is you need to help us. We're her only way out of here alive."

The cat put his head back on his body and said, "She is awaiting rescue from a boy and his two companions."

Hinata looked confused at Riku, "That can't mean us. Who are you talking about?"

The Cheshire Cat shrugged and said, "I told you before, I have all the answers but don't always tell."

Riku shook his head, "Whatever, how can we get to her?"

"It is said that the early bird gets the worm," The Cheshire Cat purred out, "But what if the early bird is the worm?"

"Huh?" Riku and Hinata ask in unison leaning forward.

The cat just smiled and disappeared, leaving Riku and Hinata completely bewildered.

"That cat is no help at all!" Riku yelled out in anger.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time…" Hinata sighed, trying to figure out which way they should go. "Let's walk down the path the Cheshire Cat pointed towards." She said walking forwards.

Riku shrugged and followed, "Not like we have any other leads."

They walked down the path together that twisted and turned in many different directions. The farther they walked the more hopeless they felt. There was no way they would be able to find Alice in time at this point. Soon they turned a corner and found a large dirt mound in the middle of their path.

Hinata and Riku approached the mound with caution, not being sure what to expect. Suddenly the ground around them began to shake and the dirt dune began to crumble. The two of them struggled to stay on their feet as a creature emerged out of the rubble. A giant, long green worm-like creature peered at them through its small eyes. On its back were two long blue wings and a yellow beak adorned its face.

"Who, or really, what are you?" Hinata asked, cautiously at the giant being.

"Why I'm the Early Worm of course!" It cawed out, flapping its illustrious wings.

"Alright," Riku said astonished, "Now I've seen everything!"

"Are you enjoying the maze?" The Early Worm asked curiously. "People always seem to stay for a long time when they are here in the maze."

"Not exactly," Hinata started, rubbing the back of her neck, "We can't seem to find our way out."

"It's easy enough to leave the maze!" The Early Worm exclaimed, "All you have to do is fly over it!"

"Yeah, we're kind of missing wings." Riku noted.

"Oh, well in that case would you like a lift?" The worm offered, "You got here early enough that I haven't started anything yet."

"Uh…sure?" Riku answered as the Early Worm laid on the ground and allowed Riku and Hinata to climb onto its back.

Once both of them were on, the worm cawed and flapped its wings, causing them to lift off of the ground into the air. As they ascended higher up they saw the queen's castle in the distance.

Hinata pointed at the castle and yelled, "Can you fly us towards the castle?"

"The castle? Why would you ever want to go there?" The worm asked contemplatively, "Like the maze, many people go in and stay a long time. Only they don't usually ever leave."

"We've been looking for a young girl, and the last we saw her she was with the queen!" Hinata tried to explain over the wind.

"Oh well then that is no trouble at all. It won't take me long to get there." The worm reassured, "Hold on tight!"

As the worm soared near the castle, Hinata and Riku searched for any sign of Alice. A scream broke through the wind and Riku told the Early Worm to follow the sound. As they approached where they thought the scream may have originated they spotted Alice surrounded by Heartless. She was backed up against a hedge wall as the Heartless inched towards her.

Riku pointed at Alice and yelled to the Early Worm, "We need to get to her!"

Hinata asked with concern, "How are we supposed to get her away from all of the Heartless? We don't have any weapons!"

"Oh, well you do have me!" The Early Worm called back, as he swooped down towards Alice and the unsuspecting Heartless. Nearing the ground, he went at high speeds and rammed into the Heartless, making a large majority of them disintegrate instantly as the others fell back stunned.

Alice had her eyes closed, waiting for the Heartless to strike when the Early Worm ambushed them, causing her to let out a small yelp in surprise. When she saw Riku and Hinata she frantically looked for an escape. Every exit had a stunned Heartless that was beginning to regain mobility.

Riku reached out his hand towards Alice, who crossed her arms and tipped her nose upwards. Not in the mood for her games, Riku went straight to the point, "Look, either you come with us or we can leave you here to deal with these creatures. Your choice."

Alice uncrossed her arms and looked at Riku's offered hand. She wasn't sure she wanted to go with these strangers; however, staying here with violent creatures that recently arrived only seemed like a death wish. Reluctantly she reached for Riku saying, "Well, I do wish to leave Wonderland."

Hinata caught sight of one of the Heartless regaining its suppleness and starting to languidly move towards Alice. Without waiting for Alice to completely make up her mind, she reached down and grabbed Alice's arm, yanking her onto the Early Worm that instantly took off once he realized Alice was aboard. Swiftly, the worm flew them out of the hedge maze and landed on the outskirts of the forest. Riku slid off of the worm and helped Alice down as well. As Hinata got off she saw the familiar smile of the Cheshire Cat appear on top of a tree branch.

"Seems you found what you were looking for." The Cheshire Cat said as the rest of its body appeared, "Where do you want to go to now?"

Riku made sure Hinata and Alice were next to him as he pulled out the small black device. "Home." He said, as he pressed the button on the device that instantly transported them back to the gummi ship.

As they reappeared on the gummi ship, Alice looked around wide eyed at her surroundings, "Why I have never seen such a thing!"

Riku sighed as he plopped exhausted on one of the chairs in the cock pit, "You were just on a world like Wonderland, and this is the thing that surprises you?"

Before Alice could respond Hinata put her hand on her shoulder, "We won't be back at Hallow Bastion for a few hours. There are some beds in the back room if you want to sleep."

"I couldn't possibly sleep!" Alice exclaimed.

Hinata was about to answer when she heard a soft snore. Turning around she saw Riku with his head back, sound asleep. Silently giggling she felt relieved that he was finally sleeping, despite the neck cramp he was bound to have when he woke up from sleeping at that angle. She led Alice to the back room to give Riku some peace and quiet as the ship began to fly away from Wonderland.

Closing the door between them and the cockpit, Hinata then sat down on a bed across from Alice, who sat in front of the small table. They sat in silence for a while, not sure what they should say to the other.

Eventually Hinata spoke up, "The Cheshire Cat said something to Riku and I that confused me."

"Everything he says is confusing." Alice noted, not completely paying attention to Hinata and looking around the room lost in her imagination.

Hinata chuckled and replied, "That's true. But this time he said that you were awaiting rescue from a boy and his two companions. Do you know who he was talking about?"

Alice nodded, "After those horrible creatures attacked the queen and the guards took me to a court room. Then that awful queen said I was the one who tried to steal her heart." She stood up and huffed, "And I hadn't done a single thing wrong! Then just as she ordered to have my head, a boy stepped in and stopped the trial."

Leaning forward Hinata interjected, "Really? Do you know who he was?"

Alice shook her head, "No, but he had the strangest friends; a small white duck and a dog that walked on two legs and wore clothes!"

"That sounds strange…But then again you were in Wonderland." Hinata laughed, "I mean Riku and I flew on the back of a worm! That's impossible!"

Giggling, Alice agreed, "It seems that everyone was mad there."

Smiling and nodding, Hinata thought about everything Alice had told her. "So what happened after the boy and his friends stepped in?"

"The queen demanded that he find evidence to prove my evidence. Then she put me in an awfully cramped cage!" Alice explained, "After a long while the boy came back with evidence, and even with that the pompous queen did not believe him. She had my cage lifted high off the ground and the boy was attacked by the guards."

"How did you escape?" Hinata asked, beginning to worry about the boy they left behind.

"It was the oddest thing." Alice supposed, "I was standing in the cage trying to open it when a strange black portal opened behind me, pulling me through. Then in an instant I was in the hedge garden surrounded by those creatures!"

Hinata leaned back in the bed confused, "A black portal?" The more she heard the more confused she got.

"Yes," Alice responded letting out a large yawn and stretching out her arms.

Hinata got a small smile, "I thought you said you couldn't possibly sleep."

Alice moved to one of the beds and laid down, "Oh just a small nap couldn't hurt."

Within a couple minutes she was peacefully asleep as Hinata gazed out of the window and watched the stars go by. They would be back in Hallow Bastion in a couple hours and Hinata wondered what Maleficent had in store for them when they returned.

******Author's Note- Sorry this one took so long to post! Getting Alice from that cage proved a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I know that Early Worm is so strange! Then again, they were in Wonderland. Anything goes there. I hope you enjoyed them in Wonderland! Please let me know what you think!******


	17. Brief Respite

Chapter 17

The door to the hangar bay slid open, allowing the gummi ship inside. Hinata stood up from the bed and waited for the ship to completely land. She had stayed awake the entire ride back to Hollow Bastion pondering everything that had happened in Wonderland and had decided that she had quite a few questions for Maleficent. Alice still slept peacefully and Hinata hadn't heard anything from Riku in the cockpit, so she assumed he still slept as well. Hinata almost lost her footing as the ship touched the ground. Within seconds a metal door by one of the beds slid open to the hangar bay, revealing Maleficent standing poised as always.

Maleficent walked inside the gummi ship and nodded to Hinata, "Welcome back. I trust everything went smoothly."

Crossing her arms, Hinata felt a pang of frustration in her gut. Just seeing Maleficent made her apprehensive. "I guess you could say that." Hinata replied watching Maleficent walk up to Alice. "What do you want with her?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Maleficent asked, "I told you she ran away, did I not?"

"I really doubt that." Hinata accused, "She told us she's never even heard of Hollow Bastion."

"And you take the word of a child over my own?" Maleficent challenged turning towards Hinata.

Hinata glared back undeterred, "Maybe."

"Believe what you will." Maleficent grinned wickedly and turned back around to face Alice, "What does that boy have to say? Does he agree with you?"

"Don't bring any harm to her." Hinata ordered, referring to Alice and purposefully ignoring Maleficent's questions.

Maleficent tightened her grip on her staff, wanting to put Hinata in her place. Instead she simply said, "I would never dream of it." With a wave of her arms a black and green mist enveloped her and Alice.

Hinata's eyes widened as she recognized how similar this mist was to what the hearts were consumed with back in Wonderland. When the smoke had cleared, Maleficent and Alice were nowhere to be seen. Hinata frowned; upset that she wasn't able to ask Maleficent everything she had planned to. Walking to the exit of the gummi ship, she looked out around the hanger bay. It was a large metal room with electric lights hanging from the ceiling. Hinata thought it was rather odd for a castle with torches and candles for light to randomly have such a technologically advanced room. It seemed out of place. Different types of gummi ships filled the bay around Hinata. She wondered how Maleficent was able to get her hands on so many gummi ships, especially since she didn't seem like the type that got out much.

Sighing, Hinata turned away from the exit and opened the door to the cockpit. As the door opened she could see that Riku was still soundly asleep. Smiling to herself, she walked into the cockpit and sat down in a seat across from Riku. Once she was sitting she finally allowed herself to think over what had happened to their island. She had been purposefully avoiding that train of thought while they were on their mission; but now that it was completed she could finally go back over it. Everything had occurred so suddenly. One moment she had been helping Hana make dinner and the next she was chasing down a panicking Kairi. Worry filled her heart as she thought about Kairi; hoping that she was alright. She hoped that she was at least with Sora and that he was protecting her. The more she thought about her lost friends and their island, the more vexed she got. Rubbing the bridge of her nose she pushed back those thoughts as a head ache threatened to come due to her stress. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer to whoever was listening. Praying that her friends were safe and they would find each other soon.

After she was finished she opened her eyes and looked at Riku. He seemed so peaceful and happy for once. Hinata couldn't help but feel guilty that she had to wake him. She tried to figure out the most pleasant way to awaken him. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered their kiss they shared before they left the island. That seemed like it would be a nice way to wake up; although she hoped Riku would feel the same way. Taking a deep breath Hinata got up from her chair and bent down in front of Riku. She felt her palms begin to sweat from nervousness as her breaths became shallow. Mentally she berated herself for getting so worked up. They had kissed before; in fact she had kissed him herself already. There was no reason she should be so nervy about this.

She lifted her hand and rested it against his cheek. At her touch Riku slowly began to stir and leaned into her hand with a small sleepy smile.

"He's so adorable." Hinata whispered to herself. She felt small butterflies flurry in her stomach as Riku sleepily fluttered his teal eyes open to look at her. Now she was more nervous than ever.

Riku cleared his throat and whispered hoarsely, "Hey."

Rather than answer, Hinata leaned in and softly pressed her lips against his. Riku was stiff, surprised by the sudden affection, causing Hinata to quickly pull away burning with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry… I don't know what I was thinking…" Hinata stammered trying to stand up, before Riku grabbed her arm pulling her back to his level. Slipping one of his hands behind her neck he pulled her in for a tender kiss.

Pulling away all too soon, Riku assured her, "It's fine, just caught me by surprise."

Hinata smiled, getting lost in his eyes, "Funny, a couple days ago you were the one nervous to kiss me."

Laughing softly Riku replied, "Yeah, well after enduring a place like Wonderland, kissing doesn't seem so daunting anymore."

The two of them laughed together before Riku let go of Hinata and stretched out his arms. Hinata stood and backed up as Riku yawned. She walked towards the exit of the ship and called back to Riku, "Maleficent took Alice once we arrived. She didn't tell me what we were supposed to do next, so I thought we could explore the castle in the meantime."

"Sure," Riku replied, still sitting in the chair, "I'll be right there."

Hinata leaned against the wall as she waited, thinking about what they would find around the castle. Soon Riku was by her side and together they exited the gummi ship and made their way out of the hangar bay. They went through a large metal door that led to a torch lit hallway. Once they were through, the door behind them was covered with a bookshelf, completely hiding the fact that there was anything out of the ordinary.

They walked down the hallway looking for places to explore. Soon they found themselves in the room where they first met Maleficent a couple days before and decided to find what was behind one of the doors across the room. Hinata gasped as they entered. Dozens of bookshelves filled to the brim with books covered the area. Tall thin windows lined the walls, giving the room a pleasant glow. Random metal pipes protruded from the ceiling, interfering with the elegant space. Hinata walked further into what she assumed was the library, coming up to a stair case that led to a second floor with even more books. Under the stairs was a square table with a single chair beside it and a blue lamp on top. On the wall by the table was a large abstract blue painting. Hinata walked up to the table and put her hand on the chair.

Suddenly her head twanged with a throbbing discomfort, causing her to grab her head with her hands. Closing her eyes she imagined herself in different clothes sitting at the table writing on a piece of paper. She heard a small giggle as a young girl ran up to her and grabbed her arm.

"Hey big sis!" The small girl greeted, pulling on Hinata's arm, "Let's go pick some flowers for Daddy! Momma says that he is coming home today!"

Hinata laughed, "I can't! I need to finish writing this report. It's due in a couple hours."

The small girl stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, "Hinata, you're so unfair. Why do you have to be so responsible?"

Ruffling the small girl's hair, Hinata began, "Sorry K-"

The vision suddenly began to jumble and fade away as Hinata felt someone shaking her shoulder wildly. As her surroundings went completely black, she could faintly hear Riku calling her name. Shooting her eyes open she found herself curled up on the ground with a worried Riku over her.

Looking around her, Hinata slowly sat up, "What happened?"

"I should ask you the same question!" Riku exclaimed, "The moment you touched that chair you grabbed your head and fell to the ground. I've been calling your name for a couple minutes now."

Hinata looked over at the table and chair before saying, "I had this weird…dream. It seemed so real."

"What was it about?" Riku asked, he usually didn't think dreams meant anything; however, with the way Hinata had fallen, he wondered if there was more to it.

Standing up, with Riku's help, Hinata was about to explain what she saw, when Maleficent barged into the room. Startled, Riku and Hinata tensed up, waiting to see what she wanted.

"I do hope I am not interrupting anything." Maleficent quipped, noting that Riku was supporting Hinata, "There is an urgent mission that needs your attention."

"We just got back from one." Riku grumbled.

"The fate of this world and many others are at stake." Maleficent clarified, maintaining her dignified demeanor.

Hinata gained her balance, lightly pushed Riku away, and broke in, "If the stakes are so high, why are you coming to us about it? Can't your Heartless take care of it?"

"This mission requires the upmost caution." Maleficent explained, "If I were to send in an army, the situation would become direr than it already is."

Hinata exchanged a look with Riku before he inquired, "What do you need us to do?"

Maleficent smiled as she waved her arms, creating a green and black mist to surround them. Hinata coughed as the mist reached her lungs and gasped once it had cleared, as they were no longer in the library. Riku and Hinata turned frenziedly, trying to discover where they were. The room was dark and empty; spare a circular stone in the center. Maleficent stood by the stone, waiting for Riku and Hinata to join her. As they approached, Maleficent gestured her staff over the stone and brought up a glowing image of what appeared to be a black cauldron.

"You are to retrieve this cauldron from a world called Prydain." Maleficent began, "This cauldron has the capability of bringing the breath of life to the dead."

With a swift movement of her hand the image of the cauldron transformed into a horrifying figure wearing dark robes. The figure's hands and face were bones and four horns protruded from its head. Hinata felt her heart shiver as two red glowing eyes bore into her from the image.

"The Horned King is the ruler of Prydain," Maleficent continued, referring to the figure, "He is fervently searching for the cauldron, and if he is to succeed in possessing it, he will use it to create an indestructible army."

Tearing her eyes away from the figure Hinata looked confused at Maleficent, "And you think that we can find it before him?"

Maleficent smirked, "Precisely."

Hinata looked worried at Riku, who seemed to be entranced by the glowing figure, "I don't know if we are the right people for this. I mean, if we fail, what would that mean for Prydain and other worlds?"

"With an army that cannot be killed, the Horned King could quite possibly conquer every world he touched. Even if every warrior and Heartless stood up against him, his lifeless army will make short work of them." Maleficent affirmed.

"And you want to send us?" Hinata asked, slightly panicked, "We have only been on one mission, and you are entrusting us with the survival of multiple worlds?"

"What King would suspect two children to be conspiring against him?" Maleficent asserted waving her hand gracefully in the air.

"We're not kids!" Riku interjected crossing his arms.

Maleficent put her hand on her chest, "Regardless of your age, with only two of you the Horned King will not so easily catch on to your plans. Of course, you will be better equipped for this mission. You will be given weapons and devices that will allow you to communicate if you happen to lose contact with each other."

Hinata crossed her arms and looked at Riku, seemingly asking him what he thought they should do. Riku looked up at her and smirked, giving Hinata the impression that he liked the idea of this mission. Finally a chance to use some weapons and show Maleficent what they're made of, she figured was what he was thinking. Hinata silently cursed the way she always went with what Riku wanted. The idea of being the only two people standing in the way of an undead army was horrifying to say the least; yet, it was clear that Riku thought they could do it and she promised to trust him.

Sighing, she grimaced out a reply, "Alright we'll do it." She was hopeless.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! Yep, back from one mission and on to the next! For those of you who may not know, Prydain is the world from the Disney movie The Black Cauldron. To be perfectly honest, it really isn't in my top 10 favorite Disney movies; but it fits perfectly with what I want to do with Riku and Hinata. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you think! *****


	18. The Journey to Prydain

Chapter 18

Maleficent led Riku and Hinata into the castle barracks. When she had told them the castle had a room full of weapons, they became akin to small children on Christmas morning. Hinata was downright giddy as she entered the room that put the sparring room back on the island to a pitiful shame. Every weapon imaginable was lined along the walls; in a corner stood a grindstone for sharpening blades and a black furnace. Without hesitation Hinata went straight to the dao swords that were hung by the furnace and grabbed a pair with red braided cords around their hilts. Behind her, Riku headed towards a weapon rack filled with one handed swords and examined them.

Turning around after picking her weapons and sheaths, Hinata looked over at Riku as he chose a sword with a black hilt, accented with silver designs. Fastening the weapon's sheath around her hips she walked over to Riku and examined his choice of blade.

"Oh that's so cool!" Hinata exclaimed as she approached him, referring to his sword, "The hilt is steel wrapped in leather right?"

Riku looked at the hilt of his sword, "Yeah, it's really comfortable to hold."

Hinata held out her hand, silently requesting to hold it, in which Riku quickly complied. Easily adjusting it in her hand, Hinata lifted the sword and silently inspected the long sharp blade. Soon she gave it back to Riku, smiling, "I've missed this." Looking around at all the weapons she continued, "Finally a room where I feel comfortable."

Riku laughed, "Yeah, me too."

"Are you ready to depart?" Maleficent asked entering the room, as she had been waiting in the hall.

"And suddenly that comfort is gone." Hinata grumbled, noticing a slight glare from Maleficent before she quickly returned to her usual dignified conduct.

"Time is of the essence, it would be best to be underway." Maleficent lectured, turning around, motioning for Riku and Hinata to follow her.

She swiftly led them to the hangar bay they had just been in a few hours prior. Thankfully, Prydain was more than a few hours away allowing Riku and Hinata plenty of down time before arriving. Entering the ship they saw the small table filled with different food. Apparently Maleficent had been expecting them to agree to the mission and had everything prepared prior to consulting them.

As Riku and Hinata walked into the gummi ship, Maleficent gave them a few more tid bits of advice before they departed, "It is of the highest importance that you do not allow the residents of Prydain to know that you are not from their world. Any suspicion could lead to the Horned King learning of your true purpose."

"Won't our clothes give it away?" Hinata asked pointing to her outfit, "If there are kings and cauldrons, I have a feeling these clothes will stand out."

"Especially you being in pants," Riku retorted to Hinata smirking, "Aren't women supposed to wear dresses in most places?"

Hinata stuck out her tongue in disgust; she fervently detested dresses or skirts as they only got in the way when she wanted to spar and were awfully uncomfortable. Her reaction caused Riku to stifle a laugh as Maleficent interrupted their banter.

"The ship has a magic drive that will change your appearance to match the other residents." Maleficent reassured, looking forward to some peace and quiet once these two took off. "Now be on your way, and do not fail me." With that she closed the door to the gummi ship and it began to promptly take off.

Hinata and Riku decided that since they were going to be flying for quite a few hours, it was time to eat some well-deserved food. They sat at the table and ate to their hungry hearts content, talking about the many weapons they saw in the barracks. When they were finished, Hinata got up and laid on one of the beds and Riku leaned back in his chair.

After a couple minutes of silence, Hinata broke in, "So are you ever going to tell me what happened to the island?"

Riku cringed at Hinata's sudden question. "What are you talking about? You were there."

Rolling to her side so she could see Riku she pleaded, "You know what I'm talking about. Please, you promised you would tell me."

Riku put his hands behind his head, "Well can it wait until later? I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"You can't put it off forever Riku," Hinata mumbled as she rolled onto her back. "I don't know why you can't trust me."

Not certain of what to say Riku looked out the window at the passing stars. He wasn't sure if he regretted what he did on the island or if he was proud of himself for taking action and finally getting himself off that rock. Groaning he pressed his palms into his eyes trying to think of something else. Putting his hands onto the table, he looked over at Hinata lying in the bed. It was obvious that she was slightly perturbed by Riku refusing to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her everything that had happened; but he was afraid at how she would react. Laying his forehead on the table he attempted to ignore Hinata's clear agitation, but couldn't seem to get it out of his head. He hated when she was upset, especially when he was the reason for it. Within a few minutes he got up from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed Hinata was lying on.

Putting his hand on her leg he said, "Look, it's not that I don't trust you."

Propping herself up on her elbows, Hinata requested, "Then what is it?"

He opened his mouth to say but couldn't quite find the right words. Looking away he avoided eye contact and resided to saying, "It's complicated."

Groaning, Hinata laid back down, even more frustrated than before, "You aren't making any sense! Last I checked we were in a relationship! Don't couples usually talk to each other about these types of things?"

"Can't say I know of a lot of couples in our situation," Riku quipped, realizing that it probably wasn't the best time to be making jokes.

Regardless of their tense argument, Hinata still managed a small giggle, "I guess that's true."

Riku gave a slight squeeze to her leg before explaining, "I do trust you, with my life. It's just that I am not quite sure what exactly happened. Everything happened so quickly. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Hinata thought about what Riku said before she sat up, putting one of her hands on top of Riku's. "Just promise me you won't keep it secret forever."

Bringing her hand to his lips and placing a kiss onto her knuckles, he agreed with her, "I promise."

Hinata felt her cheeks flush as she quickly looked away from Riku, "You know, sometimes you are too charming for your own good." Taking her hand back and crossing her arms she concluded, "Still mad at you though." She knew he wanted time to think things over, but she couldn't understand why he couldn't just tell her.

Riku gave her a small understanding smile as he stood up from the bed and walked towards the cockpit. "I know." He whispered.

The rest of the voyage went silently and before they knew it the intercom of the ship was alerting them to their arrival to Prydain. Riku and Hinata strapped their weapon sheaths around themselves as they got ready to depart. Two small black devices, similar to the one they had in Wonderland, were on the control board. Riku grabbed them and handed one to Hinata. He strapped his around one of his belt loops while Hinata strapped hers to her vest. Looking out the windshield at the planet below, Hinata could see a large green field with a surrounding forest. The world seemed quaint to say the least. Hinata closed her eyes, making a silent wish that Prydain will be nothing like Wonderland.

Riku interrupted her thoughts, "Are you ready to head down?"

Breaking her gaze away from the windshield, Hinata looked over at Riku and gave him a small smile, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Without hesitation, Riku reached over to the control board and pressed the button that allowed them to beam to the planet. Within an instant the two of them appeared on the world's surface. They looked around at their surroundings to find that they were in the middle of what seemed to be a farm.

Turning to look at Hinata, Riku's eyes widened as he saw the way she looked. Her long red hair that was usually in a high ponytail was now falling down far past her shoulders with her bangs braided around her head like a crown. She wore a long off white dress that reached to the ground. The sleeves slightly puffed by the shoulders, but slimmed tight to her palms. Over her chest and waist was a tight brown fabric with gold designs around the edges. Along her hips was a long leather belt holding the sheaths to her dao swords. Riku felt his face flush as he realized Hinata giving him a weird look, which he figured was because he had been staring at her. Then he saw that she was looking at his clothes as well. Looking down he saw he was wearing a dark blue button up tunic with long sleeves. A brown leather belt went around his waist, holding his sheath. He also noticed he wore tan pants and brown boots that went up to right below his knee.

Rubbing the back of his neck Riku remarked, "You should wear stuff like that more often."

Surprised, Hinata looked down at her outfit and realized she was wearing a dress. After making a discontented face she sighed and looked up at Riku, "Thanks! You don't look half bad yourself."

Riku laughed and looked around the farm they landed in. They were standing in a large grass field surrounded by trees. A thin creek winded randomly throughout the field and a two story home with a straw roof could be seen not too far away. A short rock wall fenced off separate areas for different types of farm animals. One area in particular caught Riku's eye, as it seemed to be a dog house; yet a pig lived in it rather than a dog.

Crossing his arms Riku observed, "This doesn't seem like the kind of place to find that cauldron. Where should we start looking?"

Just as the words left Riku's mouth a young red headed boy, about the age of Sora by the looks of it, walked out of the two story house. He wore a sleeveless brown tunic over a long sleeved yellow shirt, with a leather belt around his waist as he stomped out of the house with brown boots. Hinata grabbed Riku's hand and walked after the boy chiming, "Maybe we can ask him about it."

Riku shrugged as he followed her, thankful that they at least had something to try, rather than walking blindly into the forest. As they approached the boy they could tell he was visibly upset.

"Hen Wen, Hen Wen!" The boy exclaimed throwing his hands in the air, "It's always about Hen Wen. I'm not a little boy anymore. I should be out in the world doing heroic deeds! Not waiting hand and foot on a spoiled… hey!" He stopped in his tracks when he noticed Hinata and Riku coming towards him.

"Who are you two? I've never seen you around these parts." The boy asked, crossing his arms.

"We are um..." Hinata began trying to come up with a lie, something that probably should have been decided on before they landed there.

"Travelers," Riku finished, hoping Hinata wouldn't get a chance to give away their secret with her terrible lying skills. "We are travelers looking for artifacts to sell back home."

"Well you won't find anything interesting here." The boy pouted, "Nothing interesting ever happens here."

Hinata smirked; this boy was beginning to remind her of Riku. "That's alright, we are just passing through. By chance have you ever heard of something called the black cauldron?"

The boy shook his head, "No, I have never heard of it." Noticing the swords on Hinata he pointed, "How do you have those? How much can a girl possibly know about swords?"

The smile Hinata once had quickly was replaced by a scowl, "More than you." She retorted crossing her arms.

It was Riku's turn to smirk. Hinata constantly tried to hide the fact that she was incredibly competitive; but it always showed whenever someone challenged her skill.

"You challenge me?" The boy taunted, creating a smug heroic pose, "I am the famous warrior Taran of Caer Dallben!" Suddenly seeming self-conscious he rubbed his hands together and admitted, "Or at least that's what I will be someday."

"Alright, Taran of Caer Dallben," Hinata said as she did an over the top bow, "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Hinata, we really don't have time." Riku started to say, wanting to get a move on.

"I accept your duel!" Taran exclaimed picking up a nearby tree branch to use as his weapon.

Riku groaned. He knew that Hinata would make quick work of this kid and didn't see the point in her proving it. Maybe it was a girl thing. He watched in subtle amusement as Hinata also grabbed a tree branch rather than her own weapons as to level out the playing field. Or at least as much as an advantage she could give the kid. Taran stood across from Hinata loosely holding his branch in one of his hands. Riku shook his head and chuckled to himself, it was obvious just by looking at Taran's stance that he was incredibly inexperienced. Hinata calmly stood across from Taran holding the branch at her side, waiting for him to strike first.

Quickly he sloppily lunged at her, stabbing the branch forward. Hinata spun to the left as Taran approached her and whacked her branch against his back, causing him to fall face first into a puddle of mud. Hinata gasped and covered her mouth with her hands surprised, as her blow was only meant to make him stumble. A pig squeal rang out as a small pink pig ran out of the nearby dog house and headed for Taran. As the pig reached him, it also got covered in mud.

Taran pushed himself to sit up and patted the pig on the head, "It's alright Hen Wen."

"Taran," A ragged voice yelled out as an elderly balding man stomped out of the house, "You're supposed to be taking care of Hen Wen, not getting her dirty."

"Dallben," Taran said surprised, quickly standing up and attempting to wipe off the mud on his clothes.

The man, named Dallben apparently, stopped walking when he noticed Riku and Hinata, "And who are you two?"

Hinata stepped forward, about to introduce herself when Taran blurted, "They are travelers looking for something they called a black cauldron!"

Dallben's eyes became wide as he stuttered, "T-the black cauldron?" Suddenly he grabbed Taran and pulled him away from Riku and Hinata, "What do you want with that cursed thing?" Without waiting for an answer he exclaimed, "You are not welcome here!"

"What?" Hinata protested, putting her hands up in surrender, "We aren't here to cause trouble."

Riku grabbed Hinata's arm and began to drag her towards the forest, "We should do as he says Hinata. Remember we don't want to cause any disturbance here. That will only cause suspicion."

Reluctantly, Hinata turned away from Taran and Dallben and followed Riku into the forest. Maybe asking about the cauldron to random villagers wasn't such a great idea.

***** Author's Note: Now we are getting started in Prydain! I always liked Taran's character in the movie "The Black Cauldron", so determined to be someone important. He really does remind me of Riku, sometimes. Especially in the beginning of the movie where he tells Dallben how much he wants to see what's out there. Anyways, please let me know what you think! *** **


	19. Soul Eater

Chapter 19

Hinata slumped her shoulders as she followed Riku through the dense forest. They had been walking for almost two hours now and had yet to find anything or anyone that could help them locate the cauldron. She felt her breaths become shallower as their path began to take them upwards.

Groaning, Hinata asked, "How long are we going to walk blindly? We could be going in the completely opposite direction of the cauldron!"

Stopping to catch his breath, Riku replied, "Look, I have no idea where we are supposed to go. It's not like Maleficent gave us a map of this place. I figure if we keep going in one direction, we are bound to run into some sort of town eventually." Turning around to keep walking, he called back, "Let's just keep going for a little while longer. Then we can set up camp for the night."

Resigning her complaints, Hinata continued silently behind Riku. They would have to run into something eventually. Their trek went from being a leisurely stroll, to a steep mountain climb as the trees began to thin out and were replaced with sharp rocks. The higher they went, the thinner the air got as mist began to surround them. A shadow caught their attention as something large flew overhead shrouded by the fog. As it passed they could hear a pig frantically squealing and what seemed to be a roar from an animal they had never heard of. They quickened their pace and finally reached the top of the mountain. Before them was a large blanket of mist settling under the surrounding mountains and in the middle of the haze stood a large menacing castle. It looked as if the castle itself was decaying and rotting. Reptilian winged creatures were flying overhead, making the sound Riku and Hinata heard on their way up.

Hinata felt uneasiness settle in her gut as she looked at the castle. Motioning towards the place she remarked, "We aren't going in there are we?"

Looking equally as worried as he scanned their surroundings, Riku replied, "Do you have any better ideas? We have been walking around aimlessly for the last few hours with no leads on the cauldron." Walking towards a thin path that led towards the castle he continued, "We know that the Horned King is already looking for the cauldron. I say we sneak inside and see if we can overhear anything."

Hinata hesitated to follow Riku, but eventually gave in and walked after him. She looked worried over the edge of the thin path they walked along. One small misstep and they would easily fall off the edge. The fog was so thick that there was no telling how far that drop would be. Gulping, she looked up at the castle they were approaching. The design was crude at best, as the walls themselves seemed to be melting away. Nothing surrounded the castle as it stood alone in the mist. Soon they were within view of the castle's black fenced gate and they began searching for an alternate entry point. Riku grabbed Hinata's shoulder and pointed out a window that seemed reachable. Along the left of the castle jutted out a couple rocks that with precise jumping would allow Hinata and Riku to make their way to their entry window. Ever so carefully they made their way across the rocks and Hinata was the first to climb through. Inside they were in a stone hallway dimly lit with a torch. Leaning against the wall looking for guards, Hinata waited for Riku to enter through the window.

Once he was inside and got a chance to look around Hinata asked, "So where to?"

Riku whispered back, "Why are you asking me? I'm just as new to this place as you are."

"Oh, right." Hinata whispered giggling to ease the tension of their situation.

Slowly drawing his sword Riku began to walk cautiously down the hallway, "Let's just be careful and see what we find."

Pulling out her own swords, Hinata silently followed. They did not run into any guards but soon heard voices and smelled food coming from afar. As they got closer to the noise, Riku leaned against the wall and looked around the corner. He saw a banquet hall full of men eating and drinking and a few scantily clad women dancing on the tables. Hinata came up behind him as he sheathed his sword and smiled to himself when he heard her groan, most likely at the sight of the dancers.

"This seems like a good place to find information." Riku supposed.

Hinata sheathed her own swords, "Alright, let's find a place to sit and see what we hear." About to step into the banquet hall Riku grabbed her arm.

"Just stay with me, alright?" Riku ordered, "I don't know what to expect out of those guys; especially when they see you."

Hinata scoffed, "Oh please, I can take care of a few drunken guys. Plus, I think I'm a little young for their taste." Putting her hand on his hand that was grabbing her arm she smiled, "But I won't go anywhere."

Letting go of her arm, still not fully convinced, Riku walked beside Hinata into the banquet hall. Men were yelling and laughing as they sloppily drank out of their mugs of what seemed most likely to be some sort of alcohol. Finding a corner table with enough room for them they quietly sat across from each other and looked around. Hinata noticed Riku shooting glares at any guy that even glanced over at her.

Hinata leaned across the table so Riku could hear her and teased, "I didn't realize you were the jealous type."

Noticing some men eyeing her, Riku immediately leaned in and pressed his lips against Hinata's. When he pulled back he retorted, "More like the protective type." He glared at the men behind Hinata as they took the hint and moved on to the dancing women.

Feeling her face flush Hinata was about to respond when some wooden doors swung open and a chilling wind filled the room. Everyone fell silent as a red smoke filled the area that soon dissipated and revealed the Horned King. He stood menacingly tall wearing dark red drooping robes and a fur cape. Four horns protruded from his head and two red glowing eyes bore into anyone who dared look him in the eye. Hinata felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt his eyes move over her as he scanned the room.

A small green goblin like creature began groveling up to the King, squabbling about different things that Riku and Hinata couldn't quite make out. The King walked slowly up some nearby stone stairs and sat in a stone throne that was lined with skulls, completely ignoring the words of his goblin.

Once the King was seated the goblin poured him a glass of wine into a goblet and squeaked out, "Bring in the prisoner!"

As the green goblin gave the order a burly man walked into the banquet hall pulling on a chain. At the end of the chain was a small pig. Hinata and Riku gave each other confused looks as they recognized the pig as Hen Wen, the pig they saw earlier on the farm. As Hen Wen entered the room multiple people stood up and walked towards the center to see everything transpire. Hinata and Riku also got up and shoved their way into a spot where they could clearly see. At the bottom of the stairs leading to the king's throne was a large bowl of water and Hen Wen was being led to it.

"There Sire!" The green goblin squeaked hopping as it pointed towards Hen Wen, "This is the pig that creates visions!"

"A pig that creates visions?" Hinata asked under her breath, she wondered what sort of things this pig could do.

"Alright pig!" The goblin ordered, "Show his majesty where the Black Cauldron can be found! Go on, show it!"

Hen Wen stuck her snout in the air and seemingly refused the goblin's orders, which resulted in the King grabbing the goblin and throwing it down the stairs. Getting off the ground the goblin snarled and shoved Hen Wen's face into the bowl of water, trying to force her into revealing a vision; however, Hen Wen only became frightened and squealed.

Grabbing a piece of hot coal from a nearby fire, the goblin held it up threating, "I warn you! The King's patience is short!"

"No! Don't!" A young boy's voice could be heard yelling as rubble and dust from the ceiling begin to fall to the ground. Along with the rubble fell Taran, the boy Riku and Hinata had seen earlier at the farm.

The guards and other men instantly scrambled to capture Taran the moment he fell into the tavern. Within seconds Taran was captured and being presented to the Horned King. Hinata sighed and looked over at Riku worried. She wished she could step in to help Taran; however, they needed to keep their cover.

After consulting briefly with the King, the goblin ordered, "Release him!"

As the guards released Taran, Hen Wen came running up to him for comfort. Taran bent down and put his hand on Hen Wen's back smiling.

The king leaned forward and examined Taran and Hen Wen. Then he cooed out in a deep raspy voice, "I presume, my boy. You are the keeper of this oracular pig."

Gasping, Taran looked wide eyed at the King, "Y-yes sir."

Motioning towards the bowl of water the King ordered, "Then instruct her to show me the whereabouts of the Black Cauldron!"

Taran shook his head violently and wrapped his arms around Hen Wen, "Oh, sir! I-I can't, I promised!"

"That liar…" Riku whispered angrily under his breath, "He knew about the black cauldron and told us he didn't."

Hinata was about to respond when she heard Hen Wen squealing out of control as the goblin grabbed her and held her head against a wooden chopping block. She gasped and looked away as a guard held an axe right about Hen Wen's neck, getting ready to chop it off.

"No! Stop! I'll make her tell you!" Taran screamed, as he was held back by two guards.

The goblin released Hen Wen as she sprinted into Taran's arms. Taran solemnly knelt down by the bowl of water and placed Hen Wen next to it. Lightly putting his finger in the water and making a circular motion he said, "Hen Wen from you I do beseech… Knowledge that lies beyond my reach…"

Hinata listened intently and made sure to memorize Taran's words in case she ever needed to use them further on. She gasped as Hen Wen's snout touched the water making it flicker and show different images. A faded image of the black cauldron appeared on the water's surface as the King got out of his seat and stalked over behind Taran to get a clearer look. Feeling someone behind him, Taran looked up and yelped when he saw the King and accidentally hit the bowl, causing it to fling into the air and spill everywhere. Scrambling, Taran grabbed Hen Wen and got to his feet.

"Get them!" The goblin screeched, pointing its short stubby arm towards Taran and Hen Wen.

Everyone in the room began scrambling and yelling, trying to capture the frightened Taran. Riku took the opportunity and grabbed Hinata's arm, pulling her away from the crowd. Once they were mostly out of the fray they talked everything out.

"What are you doing?" Hinata hastily asked, "We need to help him!"

Riku laughed, "Come on, with how inexperienced he is, he's going to be captured any second now. I think that after he is captured and put in the dungeon we can sneak in and make him tell us where the cauldron is."

Hinata glanced over at the mob and sure enough, Taran was already being dragged away. Sighing and shaking her head at his misfortune she agreed, "Alright, let's do that."

They stayed in their spot as the men and patrons of the banquet hall quickly returned to what they were doing before the Horned King had arrived. The King sat stiff in his throne, glaring angrily into space and soon got up and left the room. An air of relief seemed to fill the area as things seemed to be back to normal for everyone. That is when Riku and Hinata took their cue to leave and snuck out. They walked along a stone hallway, looking for any door that would lead to some sort of dungeon. In the distance they could hear the screeching voice of the small goblin that had seen in the banquet hall. Slowly, Riku and Hinata followed the sound, hoping it would lead them to where they wanted to go. They came up to two large tall stone doors with a frame studded with skulls.

Looking at the doors Hinata shook her head, "Remind me to never let the Horned King decorate my house."

Riku laughed in return, "What? You mean you don't like the idea of dead people being used for decoration? I don't know if we can be together anymore, because I love it."

Hinata scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, seems just like the thing you would like. I'll tell Maleficent to put a skull above our window back at the castle."

Laughing at the thought, Riku walked towards the doors. He reached for the handle and pulled to open it. Hinata walked over to help him, as the door seemed to be incredibly heavy. They pulled together until they heard the voices from before approaching. Quickly they ran around the corner and waited to see who was coming. The two large doors slowly opened as two burly and muscular men pushed them from the inside. Once the doors were completely opened a wooden cart covered with a tarp rolled out of it and was being led by the two men who opened the doors. Trailing close behind the cart was the green goblin squabbling orders to the men. Riku peered around the corner and examined the seemingly normal cart when a skeleton arm fell out from the back of it. The arm was quickly swept up by the goblin and shoved back under the tarp. Soon the cart and the goblin were out of sight and the doors were still open. Figuring it was at least a place to explore Riku came out of his cover and motioned to Hinata to follow him.

They went through the large doors and found that they led down a long stair case into a rather dark corridor. Together they walked down the stairs and had trouble getting their eyes to adjust to the vast darkness surrounding them. They could barely see their own hands in front of their faces and looked around for some sort of light source. Reaching the bottom of the stairs it seemed that the ground under their feet was dirt. Feeling the ground around him, Riku found a stick and a couple rocks.

Kneeling down, he grabbed Hinata's hand and had her kneel down next to him, "I think I can make us some fire."

"You know how to do that?" Hinata asked surprised.

"I've never actually done it," Riku admitted, "But I was required to take that Home Economics class at school and the teacher showed us how."

"Why would you learn how to do that at school?" Hinata wondered as Riku attempted to use the stick and rocks to create fire.

A small spark of light caused both of them to smile. "I don't know," Riku said, "But I'm sure glad I did."

After a couple more tries the stick had a good fire glow. Hinata stood and grabbed the torch from Riku so he could stand up, "I'm glad you did too."

Once both of them were up they used their new torch for light and checked their surroundings. The room was very vast as cobwebs and skeletons were scattered across the dirt floor. Stone arches stood from the ground supporting the crumbling stone ceiling. A few stone sarcophagi lay on the ground near the walls, with a select few open with the decaying body visible. Dust flew through the air, causing Hinata and Riku to randomly cough as they explored the room.

Examining a few of the open sarcophagi Hinata mentioned, "A few of these men still have their weapons."

Riku nodded his head as he spotted one corpse holding a golden sword, "Yeah, they must have been warriors."

Bending down, Hinata found another stick and held it up to the fire in Riku's torch, "There must be another exit in here. Let's split up and look around."

"Good idea," Riku agreed, "Let me know if you find anything."

Once her torch was lit Hinata headed in the opposite direction to search, leaving Riku to search his side. He was entranced by the glimpse of the golden sword that could be seen in the dusty sheath the corpse was holding. He wanted to take it, but something in his gut told him that it wasn't for him. Shrugging away the thought he continued walking around seeing the different weapons the other bodies held. Most of them were nothing more than a standard steel blade, showcasing that they were once warriors. Then there was one closed sarcophagus that caught his eye. The entire thing was charred as if it had been pulled out of a furnace. Along the sides of it were intricate carvings of men fighting on either side of a single man who was holding up a strangely shaped sword. Trying to make out the shape of the sword, Riku lightly ran his finger over the carving. The moment his finger touched where the carving showed the sword his heart skipped. Jumping back surprised, Riku looked down at his hand and placed it on his heart. He had no idea what had just occurred. Looking back at the sarcophagus he couldn't shake the feeling that he should push the lid open. He tried to ignore the feeling and simply walk away yet he almost couldn't control his hands as they pressed themselves against the lid. Taking a deep breath he pushed the lid away to reveal the corpse he was expecting to see; however he was not expecting to see the sword in its arms.

In the corpse's arms was a one-handed single edged sword that had the appearance of a demonic wing. The blade was dark red and fanned out similar to a bat with the arm being purple. The red and purple surrounded a bright blue eye around the hilt and braid together the rest of the way into the hilt. Without thinking Riku reached his hand towards the sword and stopped himself last second. He could almost feel the sword pulsating, as if it was alive and calling to him. It took every muscle in his being not to immediately grab it. Instead he resided to rubbing his hand along the hilt and even that caused his heart to race. There was something strange about this sword before him; yet before more could be done he heard Hinata calling to him.

"Hey Riku, look who I found," Hinata chimed as she approached him.

Ripping his eyes away from the sword he turned to look at Hinata and saw Taran behind her. A young girl also walked up behind them. She was a young blonde wearing a dress with white sleeves and a pink skirt. Giving a small smile to them he asked Taran, "How did you escape the dungeon?"

"That would be me." The young blonde girl spoke up and stepped forward, "I'm Princess Eilonwy."

Riku slightly bowed his head in small respect and looked up at Hinata, "Where is the pig?"

"She escaped before I got captured." Taran explained then crossed his arms, "Why do you two care so much about Hen Wen?"

"We told you we were looking for the black cauldron didn't we? That pig could have told us where it is." Riku remarked then glanced back at Hinata, "So what do we do now?"

"Get out of here," Hinata shrugged, "Then we can figure out the rest."

Riku nodded when he noticed a golden sword that Taran was holding, "Where did you find that?"

Taran looked down at his sword and admitted, "I found it on one of the men."

Eilonwy put her hands on her hips, "I simply do not know how I feel about you taking that."

"Well it's not like he's ever going to use it." Taran defended shrugging his shoulders.

Huffing, Eilonwy looked away from Taran and crossed her arms. Riku looked back at the sword in the corpse's hand and thought about what Taran said. He was right, that man was never going to be able to use it, so he might as well make good use of it. His thoughts were interrupted as barking dogs could be heard in the distance.

Taran and Eilonwy instantly began to run towards the sound as Hinata called after them. When they ignored her calls she looked over at Riku, "Well I better see where they are off to. Are you coming?"

Looking up at Hinata he smiled uneasily, "Yeah, I'll be right behind you."

Hinata turned and ran after Taran and the princess as Riku slowly turned away from the mysterious sword and followed after her. Going after the sound of the barking dogs they found a room where an elderly man was chained up against the wall. Taran and the princess were already inside untying him.

"Oh thank the Maker!" The older man claimed as he saw the group freeing him, "I'm saved!"

"I'm Princess Eilonwy," The princess said doing a slight curtsey as Taran untied the man's wrists, "And who might you be?"

"Why I am Fflewddur Fflam, a minstrel." The man replied, getting the harp he had strapped to his chest to break a couple strings, "Oh stop you." He scolded and lightly hit the harp with his knee.

Riku stood at the entrance of the room with his arms crossed uninterested in the events. He couldn't get his mind off of the weapon he saw in the sarcophagus. He hadn't even noticed when Hinata had tugged at his arm telling him to run as someone was approaching. By the time he was paying attention everyone in the room was gone, including Hinata. Large amounts of footsteps could be heard approaching the room he stood in. Quickly he drew his sword and looked for any sign of Hinata. Suddenly he saw a guard standing in the hallway across the room. He slowly backed away; trying to avoid being seen but it was to no avail as his foot landed on a stray bone and snapped it.

The guard shot his gaze in his direction and instantly charged Riku the moment he saw him. Riku readied his sword and felt his pace quicken with adrenaline. He easily blocked the axe the guard swung blindly at him. Jumping backwards to be out of the guard's reach, Riku ran towards the door he originally entered the tombs from. As much as he wanted to have a good fight, he needed to find Hinata in case she was in trouble. Approaching the door were multiple new guards that began to surround him the moment they noticed him. Turning constantly to make sure he had view of every enemy, Riku threw his torch on the ground and put full focus on his weapon. One by one the guards charged him and every one he was able to tear down. Once all of them were down, Riku ran up the stairs and exited the door he and Hinata had gone through earlier. He could hear the metal boots of guards running towards him and he ran in the opposite direction, hoping to find some sort of window that was low enough to the ground outside where he could escape. An open door that led outside was soon within reach and without thinking Riku ran through; only realizing that it was a dead end. Frantically he turned around to head back the way he came but guards already had him cornered.

With his sword ready, Riku prepared to take each one. The guards parted to let a large burly man through that carried a heavy iron club. Riku gulped as he saw the man approach him but stood firm with his stance. The man began swinging his club at Riku and he put up his sword to block; however the club was so heavy that his sword was knocked right out of his hand and off the edge of the castle. Jumping back and gasping in surprise Riku frantically searched for anything else he could use for a weapon as the man readied for another swing. Closing his eyes he outstretched his arm in a futile attempt to block the oncoming club when it didn't come. Squinting his eyes open Riku gasped as he saw the sword from the sarcophagus was in his hand and the surrounding guards stood wide eyed, trying to figure out where the sword had come from.

The guards once again parted ways as the Horned King entered the group and walked towards Riku. Looking at the sword in his hand the King let out a raspy chuckle, "You have the seeds of darkness within you."

Pointing the sword towards the King, Riku ordered, "What do you know about this?" As he spoke he could feel a rush of power coursing through his veins.

Motioning towards the sword the King explained, "That is Soul Eater, drawn to hearts with darkness. The darker the heart, the stronger it becomes." As Riku examined the sword he continued, "For so long I have thirsted for a dark student to join me."

Riku stopped his admiration of Soul Eater and looked up confused at the King, "Join you?"

The King replied, "Yes, together we can find the black cauldron and create the Cauldron Born."

"What if I refuse?" Riku cautiously asked.

The surrounding guards began to laugh as they knew that no one ever refused the Horned King and anyone who ever did never lived long enough to tell the tale.

Riku shifted uneasily on his legs. He trusted the Horned King less than Maleficent; however he was going after the cauldron. There had to be more to why the King wanted him to join him. Maybe this was worth looking into. Taking a deep breath Riku agreed, "Alright, I'll join you."

***** Author's Note- Long chapter this time! I always wondered how Riku got Soul Eater. I wish they went into it in the Kingdom Hearts game. So he got it in Prydain! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think and don't hesitate to ask questions! *****


	20. Part of the Group

Chapter 20

Hinata stood by Riku as Taran and the Princess untied Fflewddur Fflam. He was an older man wearing a short sleeved yellow shirt with a brown tunic over it. He also wore a small brown hat with a red feather sticking out of it. Hinata watched in amusement as he bickered with his harp that seemed to be in some way enchanted.

She decided to make some conversation with the man and asked, "Why did they tie you up?"

Fflewddur looked up surprised at Hinata, "They think I am some sort of spy! I am no spy; I am the minstrel of minstrels, balladeer to the grandest courts in all the land!" Saying this caused the harp around his neck to violently shake and break another string. Fflewddur looked down at the harp and huffed, "Well, so you've forgotten! I've sung in some of the finest courts!"

Hinata put her hand to her mouth and giggled. She looked over at Riku to see if he was smiling as well, but he seemed lost in thought. She looked back at Fflewddur as Taran had finally gotten one of the man's hands freed and she decided to help him out with the second one. As she was busy untying his other hand they heard a yell through the wall.

"Pig-boys escaped!" The deep voice yelled.

Multiple yells and metal boots could be heard clanging around as the guards were scrambling to search for Taran. Hinata gasped and ran to Riku. She quickly tugged on his arm, "Riku we need to get out of here!"

With that she ran towards Taran and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the room to escape. She wasn't about to have him get captured again. Flewddur was yelling behind them as one of his hands was still tied up but Hinata did not have the time to go back to free him. The Princess ran ahead of Hinata and Taran as they ran up some stone stairs and began crossing a stone bridge. Taran's foot caught on a loose rock and he fell face first, causing his sword to go flying.

"Oh no, my sword!" Taran yelled outstretching his arm towards his fallen sword.

Hinata stopped and quickly unsheathed her swords as she heard the guards approaching. "Well get up and grab it! We don't have time to waste!" She yelled as she stood prepared for the guards.

Taran scrambled to his feet and climbed on a couple rocks to reach his sword that thankfully had caught on a thin rock rather than falling too far below the bridge; grabbing it quickly he made his way back to the top of the bridge with Hinata. While Taran was grabbing his sword Hinata had already knocked out two guards. When she noticed he was up she grabbed his shoulder and they ran into a stone doorway away from the guards.

Once inside the doorway that led into a hallway Taran began calling for the Princess as she had not noticed him fall, "Princess! Princess Eilonwy! Where are you?"

As he was calling for her he was surprised by a guard swinging an axe in his direction. Sprawling back the guard barely missed him. Shaking, Taran unsheathed his new sword and stood ready to fight the man. The guard brought his axe up for another swing and Taran held his golden sword up to defend himself. As the two weapons clashed the axe instantly shattered as the sword Taran held glowed brilliantly. Frightened the man slowly backed away and ran. Taran looked bewildered at his weapon as Hinata came up behind him out of breath.

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked leaning against the wall, then saw the glowing sword, "Is that sword magic?"

"I-I think so." Taran stuttered holding the sword in the air, then a smile spread across his face, "With this I am invincible!" He laughed and began swinging his sword around him.

Eilonwy walked up behind Hinata as she had been hiding to avoid the fighting. Turning around, Taran noticed the Princess and gave a sigh of relief, "Oh good, you're safe."

"Why of course I am!" The Princess replied and was surprised when Taran grabbed her hand.

"C'mon, I'm going to get you out of here!" Taran assured her as he grabbed her hand and ran down the hall.

Hinata shook her head as she followed them. One victory for the kid and he was acting like the king of the world. They ran through the hall and found a flight of stairs. Hearing more guards approaching, Hinata ushered Taran and the Princess up the stairs. She readied her swords hoping to take down a few of the men before following behind the others. Only then did she realize that Riku was nowhere to be seen.

"Riku! Riku where are you?" She called out frantically with no reply. She had to go after him.

Quickly she ran to the doorway that led to the bridge when she stopped and glanced back at the stair way where Taran and the Princess had run up. Even with the magic sword, Taran didn't stand a chance against so many enemies. She was their only hope to escaping. Looking longingly at the bridge that would lead back to the tombs she assured herself that Riku would be better able to take care of himself than Taran. Taking a deep breath she ran back to the stair way just as some guards were approaching. One man swung his sword at her throat and Hinata bent backwards narrowly avoiding it and slashed the back of his knee, causing him to fall to the ground. Jumping to the stairs, Hinata readied for another attacker. A man holding an axe swung his axe around the side. Hinata jumped back at the last second causing the man's axe to lodge into the wall. Taking the opportunity, Hinata kicked the man in the face making him fall backwards and knock multiple guards down along with him.

Hinata took the chance to make her way up the stairs to find Taran and the Princess. She found them in a room filled with barrels that Taran was chopping open to make the wine inside pour onto the floor. Many of the guards were slipping and falling to the ground from the sticky and slippery ground. Hinata grabbed Taran and the Princess and pushed them towards the exit that led outside. As they were leaving Hinata heard a barking dog and the familiar voice of Fflewddur.

"Great Belin," He screamed as he ran away from the dog, towards Hinata, "Make way, Make way!"

Hinata smiled, happy to see Fflewddur somehow escaped and turned around to follow Taran and the princess. They were outside surrounded by guards and the small green goblin squabbling as usual. Taran and the Princess were backed up on the black gate entrance of the castle as the guards began to throw spears towards them. Hinata quickly ran through the guards, ignoring their dismay as she shoved them out of the way. Once she was in between the crowd and Taran she readied her swords.

Eilonwy covered her eyes and squeaked, "Ah, Taran do something! Use the sword!

Hinata blocked as many spears as she could and defended her group as Taran took out his sword and hit the black chains next to the closed gate. The instant his blade touched the metal, bright sparks flew wildly as the chain began to melt away. The guards and the small goblin gasped and watched in awe, stopping any attacks they were doing. Within moments the chain was completely gone as the gate slid open, allowing the group to escape.

"Run!" Hinata yelled at Taran and the Princess. Without hesitation they obeyed, running out of the castle to safety.

Hinata was about to run herself when she saw Fflewddur making his way through the crowd. Kicking a guard out of the way she tried to clear a path for him. She held off as many men as she could until Flewddur finally was next her. Giving one final slash towards an enemy she took a couple steps backwards before running through the gate. A few men had gotten the gate operational again and began to close it just as Hinata and Flewddur made their way through.

They ran along the thin path until they reached a forest clearing and the castle was barely in view. Once safe, Hinata sheathed her swords and fell to her knees in exhaustion. Flewddur, Taran, and Eilonwy were thankfully around her and each of them gasped for breath. Once she regained her strength, Hinata stood and looked back at the castle. She wondered if Riku was safe. There was no doubt in her mind that he could take care of himself; but she still worried. Sighing, she walked over to the large tree that had big roots raised out of the ground and sat on one of the roots. She leaned against the tree and put her hands behind her head. Eilonwy sat next to her as Taran admired his new sword and Fflewddur prodded his harp.

"That was simply incredible!" Fflewddur exclaimed putting down his harp.

"Incredible?" Eilonwy asked incredulously, "Weren't you the least bit frightened Fflewddur?"

"A Fflam frightened?" Fflewddur laughed, "The word is not in my vocabulary!" The harp around his neck began to shake violently, seemingly disagreeing with his words and he quickly slammed his hand on it.

"I wasn't afraid!" Taran affirmed, holding his sword to the light.

"Not afraid?" Eilonwy argued unconvinced, "Why, we were running for our lives!"

Putting down his sword in a huff, Taran countered, "Well, I got us out of the castle, didn't I?"

"You?!" Hinata and Eilonwy yelled in unison.

"I'd say it was the sword's magic." Eilonwy bet.

"Or maybe, I don't know, the girl who did all the work…" Hinata breathed waving one of her hands in the air, "Like, me?"

"But it takes a great warrior to handle a sword like this!" Taran boasted, ignoring Hinata's comment.

"But, still, it is a magic sword!" Eilonwy countered, standing up to face Taran.

Taran angrily crossed his arms and huffed, "What does a girl know about swords anyways?"

"What?!" Hinata blurted standing up, "Am I invisible to you or something? Not only did I save your sorry butt back at that castle, but I even beat you on a one on one fight back at your farm!"

"If it weren't for us girls, you would still be in the Horned King's dungeon!" Eilonwy exclaimed, joining in on Hinata's anger.

"Now ladies, let's calm down…" Fflewddur began.

"How dare you take his side!" Eilonwy yelled stomping off into the woods.

"Well I really didn't mean to-to interfere…" Fflewddur tried to explain to no avail as the Princess was already out of ear shot.

"Silly girl," Taran remarked looking after Eilonwy, "Even if she is a princess!"

Being fed up by Taran's stubbornness, Hinata threw her hands up in exasperation and stood up to walk away, "I don't know why I bothered helping you. I'm going to find Riku."

Hinata grumbled under her breath as she stalked into the woods and began to walk towards the castle. She had no idea why she went through so much trouble for Taran and the others. It's not like any of them appreciated her help. She was supposed to be looking for the black cauldron with Riku, yet instead they were separated with no lead on the cauldron's whereabouts. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something buzzing on her leather belt. Feeling around she found the small black device Maleficent had given her and Riku before they left Hallow Bastion. Finding a small corner button she pressed it to see what would happen.

There was a moment of static and then Riku's voice came through the small speaker, "Hello? Hinata can you hear me?"

Hinata felt a smile spread across her face as she quickly answered, "Oh Riku, I can't tell you how good it is to hear your voice."

A laugh came through the speaker, "Probably as good as it is to hear yours."

"Are you alright?" Hinata asked, leaning against a nearby tree.

"Yeah, although it was a little hard being on my own…" Riku replied in an unappreciative tone.

Hinata chuckled uncomfortably and rubbed the back of her head, "Oh, um, sorry about that. I really thought you were right behind me when we were escaping."

Changing the subject Riku asked, "Where are you at?"

"I was just with Taran and the others, although I just stormed out on them to go look for you." Hinata explained.

"Did that kid make another comment?" Riku asked knowingly, laughing when Hinata only groaned in response. "Listen, you shouldn't travel with them anymore. The Horned King is having them followed. He thinks that if Taran finds that pig he'll go looking for the cauldron. And when they do find it, his spies will capture them."

Hinata thought about what Riku said before asking, "How do you know all this?"

Riku let out a deep sigh, "It's a long story." Hearing footsteps in the distance Riku quickly added, "Look, I can't talk for much longer. But try not to call me, because the device could easily blow my cover. I'll call you when I can."

With that the speaker went to static and then silent. Hinata stared absently at the device in her hands, thinking about what Riku had just been talking to her about. She wondered what he meant by blowing his cover. Looking worried at the distant castle she hoped he was staying safe. With a sigh she leaned off the tree and thought about where she should go. She could beam back to the ship, but she was pretty sure Maleficent had it set to where the ship would take off back to Hallow Bastion as soon as she or Riku were to get on board. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave Riku stranded on Prydain.

"Hinata," The princess's voice interrupted Hinata's thoughts, "Hinata are you there?"

Hinata spun around, looking for the princess when she saw her slowly approaching, dragging Taran behind her. Crossing her arms, she decided to hear what they had to say.

As Eilonwy got closer to Hinata she let go of Taran's arm and explained, "We've been looking for you. Taran has something he would like to say."

Being lightly pushed by the Princess, Taran took a couple steps forward and rubbed his arms uncomfortably. Swallowing his pride he grimaced, "Thank you for getting us out of the castle."

A small smile came on Hinata's face but she remained silent. After a couple seconds Eilonwy stepped in, "We were about to go look for Taran's pig. Would you please come with us?"

Hinata looked at Eilonwy surprised; she hadn't expected them to flat out ask her to travel with them. Riku had told her to keep her distance as they were being followed. She darted her eyes around trying to find any signs of spies, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Looking back at Eilonwy she asked, "What are you planning on doing once you find Hen Wen?"

Eilonwy put her hand on her chin thinking, "I am not sure yet. But I think we shall figure it out once we get there!"

"We could go after the cauldron!" Taran blurted out, "We could get to it first… then destroy it!"

"Oh it isn't right Taran," Eilonwy disagreed.

"Don't you see? If we destroy the cauldron, we could stop the Horned King!" Taran insisted pounding his fist into his palm. Then looking up at Hinata he asked, "What do you think Hinata?"

Hinata thought about what Taran suggested. She knew that the moment they found the cauldron the King's men would be upon them. There was no sense in tagging along only to be captured in the end; yet she wondered if she should warn them of the misfortune to come. She could at least stay with them until they found Hen Wen. That would give her something to do and she may even discover the whereabouts of the cauldron along the way.

Looking up at Taran she smiled, "I think that sounds like a great idea. Let's get moving."


	21. Visions

Chapter 21

Hinata took another glance back at the castle before following Taran and the Princess through the forest. She was glad she had a chance to talk with Riku, but couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. Turning away from the castle she followed Taran when they heard Fflewddur's scream in the distance. Quickly, they ran towards the sound to see what was amiss. They found Fflewddur on the ground scrambling with a small furry creature.

"Help! Murder!" Fflewddur yelled, trying to get the creature off of him.

As they approached the clearing Taran crossed his arms and scolded, "Gurgi!"

The small furry gray creature suddenly stopped harassing Fflewddur and backed away. It batted its big blue eyes up at Taran as it put its hands behind its back and kicked the ground. "Master!" The creature, Gurgi, stammered, "Uh, uh old man… Fall down! Yes, Gurgi helping him up!" Gurgi proceeded to pushing Fflewddur's head, futilely attempting to help him up.

As Fflewddur scrambled to his feet Hinata motioned her head at Gurgi and asked, "Who's your friend?"

Taran stuck his nose in the air, "He's no friend of mine. He's a coward and a thief!"

Gurgi ignored Taran's words and perked up when he noticed the Princess and Hinata. He patted down his head, seemingly trying to fix his fur and walked up to the Princess.

Eilonwy giggled as she bent down and patted Gurgi on the head, "You're charming!"

Hinata, Taran, and Fflewddur scoffed at Princess Eilonwy's words. Hinata thought Gurgi was rather annoying and taking time away from their search for Hen Wen.

When Gurgi didn't leave, Taran growled agitated, "Well what are you waiting for?"

"Yes, exactly!" Fflewddur joined in, "Toddle off! Toddle off!"

"Fine! Gurgi go!" Gurgi mumbled, turning to leave when he caught a glimpse of foot prints in the ground. Hopping up and down in excitement, he remembered, "Tracks! That's right! Gurgi saw piggy tracks!"

"You did?" Taran exclaimed excitedly, then stood straight and put his hands on his hips, "Oh, you would try anything to get me to believe you."

"He may be telling the truth," Hinata noted, "It's not like we have any other leads."

Gurgi grinned as he grabbed Taran's hand and pulled him further into the forest, "Yes, Yes! Follow Gurgi!"

Taran looked at his friends and shrugged, "We might as well see where he leads us."

They followed Gurgi to a small pond where they saw small hoof prints in the mud leading into the water. Gurgi pointed towards the tracks and chimed, "See Master? Piggy's footsteps! No lie!"

Hinata bent down by the tracks and studied them, "Good, they look fresh too."

"Thank goodness!" Taran exclaimed relieved they found a lead that could possibly lead to Hen Wen.

Following Gurgi, they began to walk across the pond when the water began to rumble and shake. Gurgi suddenly was swept from his feet by a strong current that turned into a steep whirlpool. He yelped out in fright and called out for Taran. Quickly, Taran reached out to grab Gurgi's paw; yet the strength of the whirlpool was so great he could barely hold his position. He dug his feet futilely into the mud as he was slowly being pulled away. Eilonwy grabbed onto the collar of his tunic and Fflewddur in turn grabbed Eilonwy's arm; however it was to no avail. The water simply swept them into its arms and pulled them under water.

"We're doomed!" Fflewddur yelled as he fell with the others into the whirlpool.

Hinata gasped as she saw the water suddenly change and swiftly took out one of her swords and struck it deep into the ground before reaching to grab Fflewddur's arm before he was completely engulfed. She gripped onto the hilt of her sword as held on tightly to Fflewddur's arm. The weight of him, along of everyone else in their group tugging on her muscles caused her to yell out in pain as she strained to keep hold of them. She felt her fingers slipping around her sword as the current grew stronger.

"No…" She gritted through her clenched teeth as she watched her hand slide off the hilt.

Within an instant the entire group was submerged by the water and was roughly tossed around by the current. Hinata desperately attempted to swim to the surface before she banged her head on a rock, causing her to lose consciousness.

The feeling of a small hand shaking her shoulder caused her to open her eyes. She gasped and shot her head up as she realized she was back in Hallow Bastion. Bookshelves surrounded her as a soft light shined through the windows. She was sitting in a brown chair by a square table that was covered with various books and papers. Looking down she saw a young red head girl with a pouty look on her face. Hinata felt herself smile as she saw the girl.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked the girl.

"Why do you have to be so responsible Hinata?" The small girl pouted, removing her hands from Hinata's shoulders and crossing her arms on top of her white dress.

Without realizing what she was saying, she replied, "I have to finish this report for Master. He wants me to research the history of dao swords for next sparring class."

"You spend all of your time with those silly swords." The girl protested, and then looked up at Hinata, "Grandma says it isn't right for a lady to fight."

Hinata let out a sigh and looked out a nearby window, "Well Grandma says a lot of things." Looking back down at the small girl, who she was realizing must be her sister, she said, "Why don't you have her help you pick flowers for dad?"

The sound of a door opening caused the two girls to look towards the library entrance. A middle aged woman wearing a simple long green dress walked up to the girls. Her long red hair was in ringlets and fell around her shoulders. Hinata felt her breath hitch as she saw the woman approach. Something in her heart told her the woman was her mom.

"My sweet Aiko," The woman's sweet voice rang out as she knelt down to little girl's level, "Are you distracting your poor older sister from doing her work?" Her brown eyes sparkled as she patted Aiko's head.

Aiko giggled as her mom touched her head and replied, "Well, I thought she could help me pick flowers for daddy!"

Her mother smiled as she assured her, "I'll help you pick them. Hinata needs to focus on other things right now."

Receiving a squeal of joy from the child, their mother quickly swept Aiko into her arms and stood up. She glanced over at Hinata and gave her a wink before walking towards the exit. Hinata had watched everything transpire and hadn't gained the courage to speak to her mother. She felt a tear fall down her cheek as she saw her talk to Aiko; but she hadn't the slightest inclination where it had come from. Watching her mother and younger sister leave the room she realized she couldn't bear to let them go again.

Taking a deep breath she called out, "Mom wait!" The beautiful woman stopped and turned to look at her daughter. Hinata felt her heart race as she stared into her mother's eyes. She couldn't believe she had let herself forget about her. Slowly standing up, Hinata felt her hands trembling. She began to walk towards her mom and Aiko when suddenly the distance between her and them elongated. Spurring her walk into a sprint she tried to make her way towards them; yet with every step they seemed to get farther and farther away. When she could hardly see them, she could barely make out her mother turning around and walking out of sight.

Panicking, Hinata pleaded, pushing herself to run faster, "No, don't go! Please wait!"

Her surroundings faded to black as she continued to chase after them, hoping she would somehow catch up to them. A shiver surrounded her body as she began to feel incredibly cold. Gasping for air she sat up and shot her eyes open; realizing that everything she had just seen had been a dream. A sharp pain hit her head, causing her to press her palms into her eyes, trying to block out the ache. After it had somewhat settled, Hinata moved her hands away to gather where she was. Stone tunnels surrounded her and the air was thick with humidity. Looking up she saw the top of the pond her and her group had fallen into. It seemed that they were underwater, yet there was no liquid surrounding them. A small creek flowed in front of her and she noticed that her group was already up and about. They were a few feet ahead on her on their feet and looking over the edge of one of the stone tunnels, talking to someone. Hinata strained to push herself to stand up, ignoring the pounding migraine that was erupting inside her skull. Stumbling she went beside Fflewddur and tried to find who they were talking to. She gasped as she saw dozens of tiny glowing people with wings. Remembering a fantasy book she had read back on the islands she decided to associate them with something the book called fairies; small magic beings that could fly whenever they pleased.

Sitting down, she watched as the fairies began to fly all around them. She lightly smiled at one tiny fairy that seemed to be a very young female child. The small child flew right in front of her nose, looking wide eyed at Hinata's face.

"Y-you fell through the water?" The small girl squeaked out, putting her hands behind her back.

Hinata looked up at the water above and shrugged, "I think so." Looking back down at the girl she asked, "Do you live here?"

The girl quickly nodded and then pointed to her chest, "Yep, I'm a Fair Folk!"

"Well nice to meet you." Hinata giggled, "I'm Hinata."

A small smile appeared on the fairy's face as a pig squeal echoed through the tunnels. Looking around, Hinata saw Taran kneel down as a pig ran excitedly into his arms.

"Oh Hen Wen!" Taran exclaimed as he hugged his pig, "Thank goodness you're safe!"

Hinata let out a relieved sigh as she saw them reunite. She was glad they found the pig sooner than later. She turned her gaze away from Taran to look back at the small girl she had been talking to, but she was nowhere to be seen. A slight frown appeared on Hinata's face, as she had been enjoying talking with a real life fairy. Groaning, she stood up and walked towards Princess Eilonwy who was talking with Taran. As Hinata approached, Eilonwy noticed her and pulled away from Taran to speak with her.

"Glad to see you're awake, Hinata!" The Princess greeted.

Hinata rubbed her sore head and replied, "Me too. So I see we found Hen Wen!"

Eilonwy smiled, "Yes, these charming creatures found her a little earlier. She fell through the water just like we did." Looking around at the surrounding Fair Fold she seemingly got lost in wonderment, before shaking her head and remembering she had something to tell Hinata, "We also found out where the cauldron is! It's in Morva!"

Crossing her arms, Hinata thought about what her next move should be. It was high time she took Riku's advice and took leave of the group she had found herself part of. Looking at the Princess she could tell that she, along with everyone else, would want her to come along. Sighing, she knew she would have to find some excuse to leave the party. She looked over at Hen Wen and got an idea.

Pointing at Hen Wen she asked Eilonwy, "Is Hen Wen going to be coming with us now?"

Taran, who had been petting Hen Wen, stood up and looked confused, "I hadn't thought about that."

A smirk appeared on Hinata's face as she realized her exit route. Looking up at Taran she suggested, "I could take her back to your farm for you."

Taran looked at Hinata bewildered, "You told me when you first arrived that you were looking for the cauldron. Why would you stop your search now when we know exactly where it is?"

Thankful she wasn't going to have to lie, Hinata confessed, "When I told you that I had Riku with me. I don't want to find it without him. At least if I bring Hen Wen back to your farm I will have a chance to look for him."

A look of worry and bafflement covered Taran's face as he considered Hinata's offer. He had been entrusted to watch over Hen Wen and he had already failed multiple times. There was no way he could bring her along on their search for the cauldron; yet he wondered if letting a stranger watch over her would also prove to be unwise.

Noticing Taran's hesitation Hinata reassured him, "Look, you have seen me fight first hand. You know that I would be a good body guard for her. I promise that no harm will come to her."

Taran still looked unconvinced as Eilonwy came over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Taran, she is right. She has helped all of us tremendously. I believe her to be trustworthy."

"As do I." Fflewddur added, taking a step forward.

"Gurgi does too!" The small furry creature hopped and butted in.

"You don't even know her!" Taran scolded down at Gurgi, placing his hands on his hips.

Hinata giggled and then asked, "Well Taran? What do you say?"

Bending down to Hen Wen again and stroking her head he sighed. Without looking up at Hinata he agreed, "Alright. I trust you too." Standing up he looked as intimidating as he could into Hinata's eyes, "But you better be careful with her!"

Smiling, Hinata guaranteed him, "I promise. She will be home safe and sound. You won't have to worry about a thing."

"Shall we then?" A small voice proposed. Hinata turned to see where the voice had come from and saw a male fairy that resembled an older man with a long white beard and wearing red and white clothes.

"Thank you King Eidilleg for your kindness," Princess Eilonwy thanked and curtsied.

The King simply nodded than looked at the other fairies before him. Within an instant all of the fairies spun and turned into a sparkling blue mist. The mist came under every person, including Hen Wen, and lifted them off of them ground. Together they were lifted through the air to the surface of the water where they had first fallen. Upon reaching the dry land, Hinata sighed relieved when she saw that her sword was still stuck in the ground. As everyone stepped off of the mist onto the forest floor, they waved goodbye and thanked the fairies for their help.

Hinata grabbed her sword and pulled it out of the ground. She cleaned the mud off of it from the water in the pond as Taran said farewell to Hen Wen.

"Be good Hen." Taran ordered his pig as he gave her one last hug. Standing up he walked over to Hinata as she finished cleaning her sword and sheathed it. Once she was also standing he looked solemnly at her and thanked, "Thank you for taking her home. I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you for all of your kindness."

Hinata smirked and placed her hand on Taran's shoulder, "Don't worry about it kid." Receiving a bothered look from him for the nickname but ignoring it as she continued, "Just… be careful. Be prepared for anything." She was fighting every instinct inside her not to warn them they were being followed. Something in her mind told her that they would be alright so she tried to convince herself that it was perfectly fine to leave them to their fate.

Taran simply smiled back as Eilonwy came over and gave Hinata a hug. "Oh, I will miss you and do be careful." The Princess said as she backed away after she was done hugging.

Hinata smiled, "I will be, I promise. I'll miss all of you too." Looking over at Fflewddur she jested, "Now you stay safe too. No wandering off."

"Me?" Fflewddur exclaimed, "Why I am the safest person you'll ever meet!" His harp began violently shaking at his lie and he quickly slammed his hand against it before smiling up at Hinata.

Bending down she patted Gurgi's head and gave him a small smile, not really knowing what to say to him. Then she grabbed Hen Wen and stood up. She waved good bye as Taran and the others turned away and began to make their way to Morva. Once they were out of sight she looked down at the pig in her hands. She was a little melancholy about being alone again; she quite liked being surrounded by people for once. Sighing, she turned around and began making her way through the forest. She decided she was going to back track until she came to the thin path that led to the castle. As she walked she let her mind wander to the dream she had when she was unconscious. She wondered if that woman she saw really was her mother and why her heart was so sad when she saw her. It wasn't the sort of feeling of they were merely separated and had yet to find one another. The feeling felt like a loss, as if her mother was gone forever. Shaking her head she dismissed the thought of it. Her mother had to be alive; she would have remembered if her mom had died. At least, she hoped she would.

A tiny sneeze brought her of her thoughts. She stopped walking and looked down at Hen Wen in her arms, but it didn't seem like the sneeze came from her. Another sneeze broke out and Hinata saw a wisp of the blue mist float out of one of her sheaths.

"Um, hello?" Hinata asked confused, wondering why a fairy had stayed with her.

"Uh oh," a tiny voice squeaked out, "You weren't supposed to see me."

Hinata recognized the voice as the small girl she had briefly talked to in the caves. Smiling she assured the girl, "It's alright, I won't hurt you."

The blue mist flew in front of Hinata's face before flashing white and turning into the girl Hinata had spoken to earlier. The child held her hands bashfully behind her back as her long blonde hair flowed behind her back.

"So it seems I have a stowaway." Hinata commented, wondering why the small girl had followed her.

The girl lightly pulled at the bottom of her white dress and confessed, "I thought you were pretty and wanted to see where you were going."

Hinata smiled but also worried, "Well that's sweet of you, but won't the other Fair Folk wonder what happened to you?"

Avoiding eye contact, the girl looked away, "Maybe…But Uncle Doli went with your friends!"

Giving the girl a stern look, Hinata explained, "Yes, but that was so he could show them the way to Morva."

The girl's eyes lit up as she blurted, "I can show you the way to the farm!"

"How do you know where it is?" Hinata replied surprised.

"Uncle Doli taught me how to navigate! I know how to get everywhere in Prydain!" The girl proclaimed proudly.

Hinata thought about what she should do. She had to admit, she had no idea how to get back to the farm. Her plan had been to back track to the castle and try to remember the way her and Riku had come. Despite the warning signs that she shouldn't take a small child with her when she knew her family would be worried, she dearly needed a guide. Taking a deep breath, she decided that if they were quick about, maybe she could get her back home to the other Fair Folk before they panicked.

Looking at the small girl in front of her she resigned, "Alright, you can come along; but only until we reach the farm, then I need to get you back home."

The small girl squealed in delight and clapped her hands. Then she stopped and realized she hadn't told Hinata her name. Pulling the sides of her dress into a curtsy she introduced herself, "My name is Tylwyth."

Hinata smiled and realized that Tylwyth reminded her of Aiko, or at least what she saw of her in her dream. Bowing her head slightly she replied, "Nice to meet you Tylwyth. I'm Hinata; although I told you that earlier." Tylwyth giggled and flew to Hinata's shoulder, sitting down on it. When she was seated Hinata asked her, "Alright, well where to?"

"Keep going this way." Tylwyth told her, "I'll let you know when you need to change directions."

Nodding, Hinata put Hen Wen on the ground and looked her in the eye, "Alright Hen Wen, can you walk next to me without wandering off?" She felt foolish talking to a pig, but figured if she could give visions, she could probably understand what people said. She smiled and stood back up when Hen Wen oinked and nodded her head.

Swiftly, she began walking in the direction Tylwyth had shown her. She wished she could call Riku and see how he was doing; however he had told her to refrain from calling. Whenever she thought of him worry filled her gut and she had to restrain herself from attempting to storm the castle to get him back. Sighing, she thought a silent prayer that he would be safe.

The three of them travelled through the forest, periodically taking breaks to rest. Hinata found herself wishing she had packed some food from the ship so she could have something to eat. She was thankful there were plenty of creeks through the forest and could drink freely. Sitting down on a rock she attempted to regain her strength. She looked over at Tylwyth as she had flown over to Hen Wen and was giggling.

"Tylwyth," Hinata broke the silence, "Do you know if there is any food around here?"

Turning away from Hen Wen, Tylwyth flew to be in front of Hinata. "I think so." She chimed, "Uncle Doli taught me that berries always grow near water."

Hinata looked over to her left, as there was a babbling creek right next to them, "Thankfully there's water right here." She began to get up to walk along the water's edge when Tylwyth put her hands up.

"Don't worry, I'll fly and look. You rest." Tylwyth advised and with that she flew off to look for berries.

Hinata was about to call out to her to tell her it was unsafe to go alone, but she was out of ear shot before the words could leave her lips. Sighing, she rested her head in her hands. She let her mind wander back to the dream she had earlier that day. There had to be a way she could find out more about her vision. Gasping, she lifted her head and looked over at Hen Wen who was sitting next to her. She thought back to when Taran had chanted the spell, causing Hen Wen to show the cauldron.

Looking at Hen Wen she asked, "Can you show me my past?"

Hen Wen stared back at her blankly, not knowing what Hinata meant. Hinata sat up and looked over at the creek next to them. They had the water; all she had to do was remember the chant. Straining to her tired feet she led Hen Wen to the water. As the approached the creek, Hinata dug a small hole in the dirt and scooped a few handfuls of the running water into it. Once the hole she dug was full she stared into the still water and tried to remember Taran's chant.

Lightly placing her fingertip into the water she copied Taran's movements and moved her hand in a circular motion. Taking a deep breath she said, "Hen Wen from you I do beseech… Knowledge that lies beyond my reach…"

Hen Wen stood at the edge of the water, mesmerized by Hinata's movements and words. As the last chant left Hinata's lips Hen Wen stuck her snout into the water. Instantly the liquid lit up and began changing colors. Hinata's eyes widened as she waited to see what Hen Wen would find. She was expecting to see her mother or something from her past; however was surprised when she saw the faint figure of Riku.

"Riku… Why are you showing me Riku?" Hinata mumbled, trying to make out what was happening.

The image seemed to resemble Hallow Bastion and Riku stood alone in a hallway. He had his back to Hinata as she couldn't make out his face. Slowly, Riku turned around and Hinata could see his face. He scowled as he summoned a dark sword Hinata had never seen before and pointed it straight towards her. Suddenly a dark green and black mist emanated from his body and it seemed as if he was screaming, but no sound was coming out. The mist enveloped his entire body and when it dissipated a different man stood in his place. He was much taller than Riku, with long silver hair that fell past his shoulders. His chest was bare but he wore a long black and white trench coat. Hinata gasped as the man looked straight into her eyes. As if he was right in front of her rather than just an image. The man wickedly grinned and brought up his hand that instantly was covered in a sparking black mass. Hinata felt her heart begin to race as fear crept up inside her. With a shriek she slammed her hand into the water, causing Hen Wen to squeal in fright and the image to dissipate.

Jumping back, Hinata stared at the now clear water. Her chest heaved as she tried to calm her heart. She didn't know what came over her that caused her to freak out like that. Her resolve usually could hold for much longer than that; yet the look in that man's eyes when he stared into her she felt like death was gripping at her. Slowly, she regulated her breath and gained her composure. She went to Hen Wen and swept her up into her arms to calm her down.

"I didn't mean to startle you Hen." Hinata apologized, "I'm sorry." Hen Wen nuzzled into Hinata as she was soothed. Hinata sat down on a large nearby rock and stared absently at the water while pacifying Hen in her arms. Feeling herself shiver as she thought back to the vision she mumbled, "Who was that?" Something seemed familiar about him, but every time she tried to connect who he was her head would suddenly feel as if someone was prodding it was needle.

"I found berries!" Tylwyth bubbled as she flew in front of her face holding a yellow berry in her tiny hands. She quickly noticed that something was wrong with Hinata and placed one of her hands on Hinata's cheek.

Hinata made her thoughts go back to reality as she looked at Tylwyth and forced a smile. "I'm fine," Hinata reassured her, "Just shaken up." She saw the berry in Tylwyth's hand and felt her mouth begin to water.

Tylwyth flew back and held out the berry for Hinata to take. Hinata stuck out her hand and Tylwyth placed the fruit in the palm of her hand. Quickly, Hinata tossed it into her mouth and a sweet sensation filled her senses.

After she swallowed Hinata hungrily asked, "Are there more of these?"

Giggling, Tylwyth nodded and flew over to the creek, "Yeah! Follow me!"

Putting Hen Wen back on the ground Hinata stood up and got ready to follow Tylwyth to the berries. She pushed away any thoughts of the vision, as she decided that it would be best to focus on getting Hen Wen home. She did, however, let her mind wander to Riku, trying to think of the wonderful memories they had made together. Going back to their time on the island together and feeling herself blush when she got to when they confessed their feelings to each other. There was no way that vision could be about Riku.

***** Author's Note- We will be going back to Riku next chapter! **

**Fun Fact****: the name Tylwyth is actually from the book series "Chronicles of Prydain", what "The Black Cauldron" is based off of (loosely). **

**Also, my husband just recently wrote a spoof of this story, up to chapter 12. If you recall, I included an edit her made to my story in chapter 5 (I think it was that chapter) about Riku being obsessed with rockets. Well, I thought his 'edits' were hilarious so I asked him to rewrite part of my story. Everyone is the same except Riku is obsessed with rocket launchers. Anyways, I tell you this because he finished writing it and posted it on my fanfiction profile. So if you're interested in reading a spoof on this story just click to see my profile.**

**Well thank you everyone for reading! Please let me know what you think :)**


	22. The Unlikely Trio

Chapter 22

In a stone hallway near the castle gates, Riku quickly shoved the black device he was using to talk with Hinata into his pocket and turned around to face the figures approaching him. Two men came up to him, both with swords sheathed to their sides. The Horned King appointed Riku to spy on Taran's group as they searched for the cauldron. He designated two bounty hunters to accompany him so they could assist in capturing the group if they indeed found the cauldron.

One of the men was taller than Riku with long blonde hair braided down his back and one of his hands was missing. He wore chain mail under his green tunic with tan pants and a brown satchel over his shoulder. The other was about Riku's height, with short black hair and a full beard; wearing a blood red tunic and brown pants. The three of them looked at each other unsure of what to say. It seemed odd to Riku that these men would work for the Horned King, but then remembered that they probably didn't have much say on the matter.

Pointing towards the castle gates Riku broke the silence, "We should probably get moving." As he turned and began to walk away he mumbled awkwardly, "Also, I'm Riku."

The blonde man put his arm to his chest and slightly bowed, "I am Sir Bedivere."

When the other man didn't say his name, both Riku and Bedivere looked at him expectantly. The man had an annoyed scowl on his face, as if he wasn't the least bit interested in working with these two. Walking past Riku and Bedivere he grumbled, "Mordred."

Riku walked after Mordred to leave the castle gates. He felt increasingly uncomfortable being forced to work with two men he didn't know; he knew he would have to watch his back. They left the castle gates and walked along the thin path towards the forest. As they approached the forest Bedivere asked, "Do we have any leads on where they went?"

"They went to look for the pig." Riku claimed. "It can tell them where the cauldron is."

"No kidding, Princess." Mordred remarked, receiving a glare from Riku for the uncalled for nickname. "We were there when that brat did the chant. Know anything useful?"

"I know I'd like you to shut up." Riku retorted, suddenly wanting to summon Soul Eater.

"Gentlemen, please." Bedivere calmly begged them before looking at the ground in front of them. He took a few steps forward and kneeled down to get a good look at the dirt. Smiling, he noticed an array of foot prints leading further into the forest. Standing up and dusting off his hands he informed the others, "I found some fresh tracks leading in this direction. Perhaps they would be worth following?"

Mordred grunted and began to walk where Bedivere had pointed. As he past Bedivere he remarked, "At least you're more useful than that Pipsqueak."

Riku clenched his fists as anger began to rise inside him, knowing Mordred was referring to him. Bedivere simply sighed and followed after Mordred as Riku forced himself to let it go. They followed the tracks in silence when they were led to a pond. Riku gasped as he spotted Hinata's sword stuck in the mud by the edge of the water. He approached her sword and lightly ran his hand along the hilt, wondering where she could have gone.

"Well now what?" Mordred asked, throwing his hands in the air. He tired of the tracking and thirsted for a good fight.

"Patience Mordred," Bedivere advised him as he walked along the edge of the pond, looking for clues. He spotted pig tracks heading into the pond but not out of it. The same went for the human foot prints. Walking up to Hinata's sword, he placed his hand on top of it and wondered why someone would stick a good sword into the ground and then leave it there. Putting his hand to his chin he pondered aloud, "It would seem as if they fell into the water and never came back out."

Riku stood next to Bedivere and crossed his arms, "Is that even possible?"

Placing his arms behind his back Bedivere informed him, "I have heard rumors and read stories of small creatures called Fair Folk that live under water; however, rather than being surrounded by water they somehow live in caves filled with breathable air."

Remembering mythical creatures he had read about at school, Riku asked, "Something like a mermaid?"

Mordred busted out laughing, openly mocking Riku, "Yeah, our targets are probably swimming under the water with human fish. Tell me, why did the King send a runt like you to do a man's job?"

Outstretching his arm, Riku immediately summoned Soul Eater and spun around to face Mordred. "You know, you're really starting to annoy me!" He yelled, having enough of his antics.

Before any of them could respond the pond began to bubble and glow a bright blue. The three of them backed away and hid behind some trees to see what was happening. They watched in awe as the water parted ways and the entire company they were tracking emerged from the pond being lifted by a sparkling blue mist. Riku sighed relieved when he saw Hinata come up safe and sound. He also wondered what she was still doing traveling with the others. They stayed hidden as Hinata said farewell to Taran and the others and walked away with Hen Wen. Once everyone was gone, the three of them emerged from their hiding spots.

Mordred unsheathed his sword, "I say we split up. One of us goes after that red-head with the pig, and the other two follow the larger group to the cauldron."

"No," Riku quickly disagreed, wanting to keep Hinata safe; "We were given orders to follow the group to the cauldron. That girl said she was taking the pig back to its home, so there's no reason to go after her."

Mordred scowled at Riku, "Who gave you the reigns to this operation?" Motioning in the direction where Hinata went he growled, "I don't leave any loose ends. I'm going after her."

Riku stepped closer to Mordred and glared, "No you're not."

"What are you going to do pretty boy? Stop me?" Mordred inquired outstretching his arms.

Summoning Soul Eater, Riku threatened, "I'll do more than that."

Readying his own sword, Mordred challenged, "I'd like to see you try."

"That's enough you two!" Bedivere scolded walking between them, "We need to follow the other group before we lose them." Riku and Mordred stayed in a fighting stance as they only grew tenser. When Bedivere realized neither of them planned on moving he shook his head, "The quicker we work together the quicker this mission will be over. I suggest both of you settle your quarrels with each other another time so we can focus on the mission at hand." Turning towards Mordred, he pleaded, "Riku is correct. We need to follow the main group to the cauldron. That girl and the pig are no longer our concern."

Seeing that he was outnumbered, Mordred grumbled and let down his sword. In turn, Riku made Soul Eater dissipate; but still remained tense. Sighing relieved, Bedivere motioned in the direction Taran and the others had gone, "Shall we then?"

Keeping their distance from each other, Riku and Mordred followed Bedivere through the forest. They walked in silence as Bedivere kept a keen eye on the tracks. Riku felt his feet burn with exhaustion as he wished they would rest for a few minutes; however, knowing Mordred would only mock him for being tired he refrained from speaking up. Instead he let his mind wander to Hinata and wondered how she was warring by herself. He knew she could easily defend herself, but had no idea what she would encounter.

"Hey Princess," Mordred's rough voice brought Riku out of his thoughts. He scowled over at Mordred and wondered why he insisted on calling him that.

"What?" Riku groaned.

"Would you like to take a moment of rest?" Bedivere inquired, pulling out a flask of water and taking a sip.

Without responding Riku walked over to a nearby tree root that was sticking out of the ground and sat down. Mordred leaned against a nearby tree with his arms crossed as Bedivere simply remained standing with his arms behind his back. Looking up at Bedivere and noticing he didn't look the least bit exhausted, Riku asked, "You aren't tired?"

Bedivere gave Riku a small smile as he responded, "I have made my life trekking throughout these woods. There isn't a place in all of Prydain I couldn't direct you to. Due to those journeys I seemed to have acquired exemplary endurance."

Mordred scoffed and insensitively jested, "You're just an explorer? Then I suppose your hand just jumped ship on its own?"

Moving his arms in front of him, Bedivere solemnly grabbed the stub where his left hand used to be, "Yes well, even explorers run into scuffles from time to time. This particular fight, as you can see, did not turn out in my favor; although, I dare say my opponent ended up worse than I." Clearing his throat he put his arms at his side and changed the subject, "However that is all in the past. It's time we move on."

Feeling somewhat refreshed, Riku stood up and followed after Bedivere. They walked for another hour and as the sun was beginning to set the forest around them began to change into a misty swamp. The air filled with a mildewed scent and the ground became muddy and soggy; in the center of the swamp stood a wooden cottage. Before entering the area, Bedivere held out his arm to stop Riku and Mordred.

"We have to be cautious," Bedivere warned, "Three witches inhabit this swamp. If the cauldron indeed is hidden here, it may prove rather difficult to retrieve it."

Mordred unsheathed his sword, "Let's just stick them in the gut. Then they won't give us any trouble." He was getting more antsy by the second, waiting for some sort of excitement.

Riku was about to come back with a witty response that was sure to rile up Mordred, when the ground began to shake violently. They struggled to keep their balance as the water from the swamp splashed and lightening began striking the ground. As quickly as the chaos had started, everything had settled.

Trying to catch his balance from the sudden movement, Riku noted, "They must have found the cauldron."

Mordred sarcastically remarked, "What gave you that idea Princess?"

"Will you stop calling me that?" Riku grimaced as he spun around to face Mordred, "What's your problem?"

Sneering, Mordred replied, "Don't like a runt doing a man's job."

"If you two are quite done, I believe I know where our targets are." Bedivere interrupted, not wanting to get involved with their squabbling.

Leading them back into the forest, Bedivere walked around the swamp until they saw firelight in the distance. They could see Taran and his group sitting solemnly around the flames surrounded by dead trees and a rocky land. Behind them was the cauldron raised up on a few pointed rocks.

"They actually found it…" Riku whispered, surprised. He wondered why they looked so gloomy when they had gotten exactly what they were looking for.

The sound of swords being unsheathed caught his attention as he turned around to see Bedivere and Mordred pulling out their weapons.

"What's the plan?" Riku whispered, summoning Soul Eater.

Bedivere looked over at the group around the fire before responding, "Our first priority should be to render them unconscious." Looking straight at Mordred he continued, "With as minor injury as possible." Pausing, he then cautiously spoke, "After they are unconscious and we alert the King to the cauldron's whereabouts, we need to figure out our next course of action."

"What's the confusion?" Mordred asked, "Bring what the King asked, get out bounty and we're through."

"Yes, there is that possibility." Bedivere agreed, "But haven't you the slightest curiosity what that cauldron can do? What does the King plan on using it for?"

"It can bring the dead back to life." Riku informed them, "He's going to use it to create an unstoppable army."

Mordred and Bedivere exchanged confused looks and Bedivere asked, "How do you know this?"

"I just do." Riku answered, hoping they wouldn't press the matter further.

"Finally Princess knows something useful." Mordred jeered, receiving yet another glare from Riku.

Bedivere stared at the ground, seemingly deep in thought. Looking back up after a few seconds he vowed, "We cannot allow the Horned King to do this."

"No way," Mordred countered, "I'm only doing this for the bounty; if you two want to throw away your lives count me out."

Giving a slight nod of acknowledgement to Mordred, Bedivere turned to look at Riku, "Well Riku, what do you think?"

Riku nodded and quickly agreed, "We need to stop him." Thinking about what they could do, Riku suggested, motioning his head towards Taran and the group in the distance. "We could help them destroy it."

Bedivere shook his head, "As much as I believe we need to destroy it, I also need that bounty. There must be a way we can receive our payment, and then stop the King."

Riku didn't like the idea and thought it was too risky; however, it seemed that neither Bedivere nor Mordred would listen to him on the matter. Taking a deep breath, he agreed, "Alright, we'll do that. Let's get moving."

Readying their swords they made their way to Taran and the others, making sure to stay out of sight. Riku was walking along side Mordred, when he tripped and fell out of the brush in front of Taran and his group. Taran noticed Riku fall and quickly jumped up to go to him. Jumping to his feet, Riku looked at Taran approaching and wondered what his next move should be.

"You're Riku, right?" Taran asked as he came up to him.

Riku rubbed the back of his neck and lied, "Yeah, I was looking for Hinata."

"Oh," Taran replied worried, "Well, she left us a while back to go looking for you."

Behind Taran, Riku could see Bedivere and Mordred sneaking up behind the Princess and Fflewddur. Taran noticed that Riku was looking past him and quickly turned his head to see what he was looking at. Seeing Bedivere and Mordred about to grab his friends, Taran opened his mouth to yell and warn them; however Riku took the opportunity of him looking away and swiftly hit Taran on the head with Soul Eater. As Taran fell unconscious, Princess Eilonwy shot to her feet and shrieked, only to come to the same fate as Bedivere grabbed the side of her neck. Mordred hit Fflewddur on the back of the head and quickly slung the older man over his shoulder. None of them noticed Gurgi as he scurried away unseen.

Riku slung Taran over his shoulder and walked towards Bedivere and Mordred. Bedivere held Eilonwy in his arms while Mordred had Fflewddur over his shoulder. As he approached them he remarked, "Well now we got them. How do we get the cauldron back?"

"We could kill them." Mordred suggested half-joking, and then pointed to the cauldron. "Then all we would have to carry is that thing."

"Is killing all you think about?" Riku remarked.

"Killing you maybe," Mordred chided as he readjusted Fflewddur on his shoulder.

"Well at least now I don't feel so bad about wanting to kill you." Riku retorted, looking forward to being able to go their separate ways.

Mordred laughed and roughly hit Riku on the back, "You know Princess; I'm starting to think you're not half-bad."

"We cannot kill them." Bedivere intervened. "Our orders are to bring them back unharmed." Setting Eilonwy momentarily on the ground he then lifted his hand to his mouth before warning Riku and Mordred, "You may want to cover your ears."

Riku and Mordred looked confused at Bedivere, wondering what he meant, when he put a few fingers into his mouth and let out a loud whistle. As the whistle resonated through the air Riku heard an animal roar that he immediately recognized as the dragon like creatures he and Hinata had seen when they were searching for the castle. Within moments, two of those creatures flew above their heads and circled the cauldron.

Picking the still unconscious Eilonwy up from the ground Bedivere explained, "The gwythaints will carry the cauldron back to the castle."

Riku watched as the gwythaints swooped down in unison and grabbed the sides of the cauldron with their talons. They quickly flew back into the air and headed towards the distant castle.

Bedivere reached into a satchel he had swung around his shoulder and pulled out some rope. They tied Taran's and his friend's hands and feet together in case they awoke on their journey back. Riku hesitated in tying Taran up, beginning to question why he was assisting in their capture. He knew it was a way to retrieve the cauldron; however, none of the people he was capturing had done anything against him. His heart and mind were conflicted in whether or not he was doing the right thing. Pushing his inner quarrel aside he assured himself that the mission had to come first.

As they walked back into the forest to head to the castle, Mordred spoke up, "What, are those things your pets of something?"

Bedivere slightly nodded and responded, "Of a sort. I found them as abandoned younglings on one of my many travels and took them in. As they grew I trained them to stealthily follow me from a distance when I go exploring and to aid me whenever I whistle."

"I didn't see them once the entire journey!" Mordred exclaimed, skeptical.

"Yes, then I'd say they were trained rather well." Bedivere smirked.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Riku asked, readjusting Taran on his shoulder.

"The information didn't seem necessary for either of you to know for the mission." Bedivere explained, "I apologize if I offended."

They continued the way back in a hurry, taking small resting breaks along the way. Their targets thankfully remained unconscious the entirety of the journey and within a couple hours they were back at the castle gates where the small green goblin was waiting for them.

"Finally you are back!" The goblin squabbled angrily, jumping up and down, "What took you all so long?"

As they walked past the goblin Mordred sneered, "Oh shut up you annoying worm! You wouldn't have even found these runts without our help."

Riku smiled to himself as they walked into the castle. He was glad Mordred told the annoying goblin off. At least they could agree on something. Once they entered the gates, a few guards led them down to the catacombs of the castle where the black cauldron stood as the gwythaints had brought it in a few moments earlier. Dozens of skeletons littered the ground surrounding the cauldron. To the left there was a large flight of stairs leading to a stone loft that overlooked the area. A burly man took Taran, Eilonwy, and Fflewddur one by one and carried them up the flight of stairs to the loft where they were tied up along the wall.

Once all three of them were tied up, a guard led Riku and the others to a dark room with a long thin stair case leading to the throne of the Horned King. The stairs and throne were lined with decaying skulls and the King sat with his red eyes glowering at anyone who dared disturb him.

The guard bowed low to the ground, "Your Majesty, the men have returned with the cauldron and the targets."

The Horned King slowly stood to face Riku, Bedivere, and Mordred. Instantly, Mordred and Bedivere bowed to the ground and reluctantly, Riku followed suit. The King walked down the stairs and looked at the men before him.

"Rise honorable men of Prydain." The King's raspy voice proclaimed, waiting as they stood to their feet, "All of you have done a great service and will be richly rewarded." Motioning his head towards the guard that had brought them in, the guard swiftly turned and left the room. "My guard is retrieving your reward as we speak."

Mordred grinned and looked at the two men beside him, expecting the guard to come back with their bounties. Riku smirked, liking the feeling of getting rewarded for completing a mission. He was beginning to like the idea of bounty hunting. Both of them looked at Bedivere and were put off when they saw him not sharing in their excitement. He looked over at Mordred and Riku with a serious glint in his eyes and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Something was amiss.

The grin on Mordred's face disappeared as the sound of multiple metal boots clanged down the hallway, approaching them. He followed Bedivere's example and placed his hand warily over the hilt of his sword. Riku suddenly felt uneasy as guards filled the room and prepared to summon Soul Eater.

Once the guards were all in the room the Horned King placed his hands in the air and declared, "You shall become the leaders of my Cauldron Born!" The King walked behind the guards and headed to the room exit. Before he left he explained, "Unfortunately, you living prevents such an honor. So allow my guards to take that from you."

With a raspy wicked laugh, the Horned King left them to their fate. The guards readied their weapons and Riku immediately summoned Soul Eater. The three of them stood back to back and prepared to fight the multitude of guards. Without warning, the battle began. Mordred yelled in both anger and excitement and he ravaged through the guards with his sword. He had been waiting for a fight all day and was not disappointed. Bedivere kept his left handless arm behind his back as he calmly took down man after man with no mistake. It was as if he was doing it without even trying. Riku slashed at every guard in his sight and reveled in the adrenaline pumping through him. With ease, he blocked the oncoming attacks and sliced through the men, causing them to fall at his feet. Within a few minutes, the only ones who stood victorious were Riku, Bedivere, and Mordred.

Looking at the multitude of men on the ground, Mordred cackled and hit Riku on his back, causing him to stumble a couple of steps forward, "What a bunch of wusses!"

Their victory was short lived as the ground began to shake and a bright light flashed from down the hall. The bodies around them began to shake violently as the black cauldron had been activated. Backing back together they once again readied their swords. Except for Riku, who suddenly felt as if his body was being torn apart. Grimacing, he fell to the ground and grabbed his head.

Noticing Riku falling, Mordred yelled, "This is no time to keel over Princess!"

Mordred was about to reach down and pull Riku to his feet when the once shaking bodies began rising to fight. Bewildered, he and Bedivere began striking them down, once again; attempting to keep them away from Riku as he lay huddled on the ground. They continued fighting and were shocked as they saw Riku stand up, emanating a black and green mist around him. Wickedly smiling, he held out his hands and looked at Soul Eater as if it was his first time seeing it. He shot his gaze towards the exit of the room, suddenly disappeared and reappeared outside the door and away from the undead guards. Ignoring the confused and panicked yells from his teammates, he swiftly made his way to the catacombs where the Horned King was. As he stalked into the area he saw the Horned King walking proudly, as if he had achieved his greatest dream.

Wanting to get his attention, he spoke up, "I thank you for giving me life; but it is not yet time."

The Horned King stopped walking and turned around to face the boy that spoke to him. He looked confused as the boy had the appearance of Riku, but his voice was warped. It was as if a deeper bellowing voice was conjoining with his original voice. Walking towards the boy he thought was Riku he challenged, "What does a boy know about such things?" Motioning his hand towards the multitude of undead warriors storming through every exit, "My phantom warriors have come to life! All dead from centuries past! Never has anyone created an army like this!"

Holding up his hand, Riku's hand was engulfed by a sparking black mass. Before the Horned King knew what he was doing, he swiftly outstretched his arm and sent the mass shooting towards the King. The King was instantly hit in the chest and sent sliding against the floor, causing Eilonwy to shriek as she watched now awake, from the loft where she and the others were tied. Riku walked up to the King, grabbed him by his robe and slammed him against the wall. The undead warriors attempted to stumble their way to him, but an invisible wall immediately surrounded the Horned King.

Coughing, the Horned King looked into the boy's eyes, "Who are you?"

"I am the darkness you sensed in this boy's heart," He replied, grinning, "Ansem."

"What do you want?" The King grimaced; bleeding profusely from Ansem's shot.

"Tell me how to destroy the cauldron." Ansem ordered.

The King managed a weak laugh, "Would you not rather learn to control it?"

Ansem scoffed, "You understand nothing. I am a spirit awaiting life inside a troubled heart and will only gain my full power when it accepts me willingly." Summoning Soul Eater, he threatened, "You are holding me back from my full potential."

"Someone must willingly give up their life and enter the cauldron!" Eilonwy shouted to Ansem, wanting to have it destroyed as much as he did.

Without looking over at Eilonwy, Ansem gave a small nod and looked into the Horned King's glowing eyes, "You are no longer of use to me." Before the King could respond, Ansem stabbed Soul Eater into the King's chest and quickly pulled it out, leaving the King to slowly bleed out on the floor.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Ansem heard Mordred's gruff voice. He turned around to see Mordred and Bedivere had made their way to the catacombs and were fighting off more undead warriors. Mordred was yelling up at Eilonwy and the others. "If you know how to stop it, do it!"

Taran looked solemnly at the ground, "He's right, I need to stop this."

"Taran no!" Eilonwy cried out.

Pulling on his ties that bound his arms, Taran tried to get himself free to no avail. Then Gurgi, who had been following after them when they were captured, ran up to him and helped Taran and the others out of the rope. Ansem smirked and realized that they were going to destroy the cauldron for him. He dissipated the invisible wall he had created around him and the King and began walking towards Bedivere and Mordred. He considered killing them, but refrained as they could still prove useful.

Walking between them he advised, "It would be wise to leave here."

Exchanging confused and frightened looks, Bedivere and Mordred heard the haunting voice that had joined with Riku's; however, without hesitation they followed him and quickly fought their way out of the castle. As they exited the gates and began fighting endless hordes of undead along the thing path that led to the forest, Mordred leaned over to Ansem and chided, "What's with your voice Princess?"

Ansem immediately turned towards Mordred and grabbed him by the collar. Picking him off the ground and holding him over the edge of the path that fell into nothingness he looked into his eyes and calmly threatened, "If you wish to make it out of here alive, you will not call me that again."

Mordred panicked and grabbed hold of Ansem's arm. "Alright, alright you win, Riku."

Smirking, Ansem tossed Mordred back onto the path and corrected as he walked by, "It's Ansem."

Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the castle and the undead soldiers surrounding them on the path began falling lifeless to the ground. Bedivere and Mordred sighed relieved, seeing that they were going to make it through alive. A yell from Ansem turned their attention to him as a black and green mist surrounded him and he fell to the ground. After a moment, he slowly stood back up, trying to gain his balance.

Putting a hand to his aching head, he looked around confused, "Wh-what happened? Where am I?"

Noticing his demeanor had changed, Bedivere cautiously took a couple steps toward him, "Riku?"

Riku looked confused at Mordred and Bedivere as they both seemed shocked and disconcerted. He simply nodded and wondered what was going on. The castle began to crumble behind them as the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

Running towards the forest Mordred yelled, "We need to get out of here!

Stumbling after them, still trying to gain his balance, Riku followed after his teammates. Noticing him falling behind, Bedivere went back and put one of Riku's arms around his shoulder; helping him to move along. The castle completely fell to the ground, including the path they had escaped on, just as they entered the forest clearing. Realizing they were safe, Bedivere took Riku's arm off of his shoulder and stood next to him. Mordred stood away from them and stared bewildered at Riku.

Noticing the stare and expecting some rude jest, Riku groaned, "What?"

Mordred opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again; not sure what he should say. The three of them remained silent, as Riku felt increasingly uncomfortable by the looks Bedivere and Mordred were giving him. He wanted to ask what happened, but a part of him also didn't want to know. If the way his teammates were acting were any indication, whatever happened was not pleasant.

Taking a deep breath he asked, "So what happened?"

Bedivere looked over at Riku, "You don't remember?" Riku shook his head as Bedivere informed him, "You hunted down and killed the Horned King."

"And you nearly dropped me off the edge of the bridge!" Mordred included.

Widening his eyes in surprise Riku exclaimed, "I did what?"

Riku looked down at his hands and wondered what could have come over him to cause him to lash out that way. He had killed the guards as he was being attacked out of self-defense; but to purposefully kill a leader and almost a teammate. That wasn't him; it couldn't be

His thoughts were interrupted when Mordred hit his hand on Riku's shoulder. "From now on kid, you have my respect."

Surprised, Riku looked up at Mordred. "By murdering someone and almost killing you I have your respect?"

Mordred laughed and rubbed his neck where Ansem had grabbed him, "That and a couple other things. You proved that you aren't someone to be messed with."

Bedivere nodded, "Indeed you did. There seems to be much more to you than meets the eye."

"Why don't I remember?" Riku wondered aloud, still unsure of what he thought of his actions.

Both Bedivere and Mordred stood in silence, unsure of what could have happened. Before anything more could be said they heard a rustling in the bushes. All three of them instantly readied their weapons and waited to see what approached them. Riku felt himself smile with relief as Hinata rushed into the clearing, weapons in hands. When she saw Riku she let out a small smile before looking at the two men next to him.

Riku dissipated Soul Eater and sighed, "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you are too." Hinata remarked, still unsure of what to think of what she saw. All three of them were stained with blood. Seeing that Riku seemed to be somewhat at ease she lowered her swords.

"I presume you're Hinata?" Bedivere asked stepping forward, remembering he overheard Riku mention Hinata to Taran when they captured them. "I am Sir Bedivere." Motioning towards the other man he finished, "And this is Mordred."

Hinata smiled lightly and nodded her head; then looked over at Mordred. He simply crossed his arms and stared at Hinata before shoving Riku, "You could have just told me she was with you." Referring to when he had wanted to track her and Hen Wen down.

Riku gained his balance and shot Mordred a glare, "I didn't want to put her in danger. So I kept it secret." He looked over at Hinata and asked, "How did you know where I was?"

"I was taking Tylwyth home after we left Hen Wen back on her farm, when the ground began shaking and we saw a bright light come from the castle." Hinata began explaining as she crossed her arms, "I got worried about you so I asked Tylwyth to lead me here."

Riku looked at her confused, "Who's Tylwyth?"

A small blue mist came out from behind Hinata and flew in front of her face. With a bright flash the mist was replaced with Tylwyth. "That's me!" She squeaked pointing at her chest, "I'm a Fair Folk."

"Fascinating," Bedivere exclaimed, quickly walking up to Tylwyth and examining her, "I've never seen one in person." Looking up at Hinata he asked surprised, "You took a Fair Folk out of the water?"

Hinata chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck, "I didn't plan on it. She sort of stowed away on me and I didn't notice. When I found her I was going to take her back but then she told me she could navigate to anywhere in Prydain. So I took her with me."

Bedivere let out a rare smile as he looked back at Tylwyth, "Well it is an honor to actually meet you. I wish I had my journal to draw what you look like."

Mordred scoffed, "An explorer, dragon trainer, journalist, and a bounty hunter. Now I've seen everything."

"Gwythaint trainer," Bedivere corrected, "Gwythaints are a second cousin to the dragon with…"

"Whatever," Mordred waved his hand in dismissal, "Save the info for someone who cares."

Riku and Hinata looked at each other, both thinking about what they saw in Wonderland. They smiled, relieved and glad to be back together. Looking at Riku's stained clothes and skin she wondered what could have happened.

Motioning towards their clothes she asked, "So what happened?"

Bedivere straightened his disposition and backed up a couple steps from Tylwyth before explaining, "The cauldron was retrieved by the Horned King and was activated."

"Not for long though," Mordred blurted out grinning, interrupting Bedivere, "Your boyfriend here made sure of that."

Hinata looked confused as Bedivere cleared his throat in distaste at Mordred's interruption and continued, "Indeed, he ended the Horned King's life and gave opportunity for the others to destroy the cauldron."

Hinata gasped and looked over at Riku, "You killed him?"

Riku uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck, "I think so. I don't remember."

"And not just killed him," Mordred broke in, seemingly enjoying what Riku did and wanting to brag about it to Hinata, "He left him bleeding out and made short work of every enemy he saw. It was like he was unstoppable!"

Hinata looked away, unsure of what to think of what Mordred just told her. She couldn't believe Riku would do something like that. Not wanting to look at Riku, she asked, "What do you mean you don't remember?"

Equally as surprised as Hinata to hear what he did, he told her truthfully, "I don't know. Last thing I remember we were being ambushed by guards. Then next thing I know we are outside the castle fighting those Cauldron Born."

Uneasiness settled in Hinata's gut as she momentarily thought back to the vision Hen Wen had shown her. She wondered if she should tell Riku about it or if it was related with his sudden violence. There was no way he would have done those things willingly. Maybe it was merely a side effect of the cauldron being activated. That had to be it.

***** Author's Note- Finally nearing the end of Prydain! If you are at all confused on how Ansem fully took over Riku momentarily, please feel free to ask or message me. I know it's kind of a stretch and nothing like that ever happened in the canon KH story; but the moment I watched The Black Cauldron I knew I wanted to do that. **

**I also know that Bedivere and Mordred aren't from the books or movie, but I wanted to add people for Riku to travel with. Fun fact though, the book series "Chronicles of Prydain" is loosely based on Welsh mythology, which are stories like King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table. Well, both Bedivere and Mordred are from Welsh mythology too. Wanted to make sure their names would fit within the story. **

**Anyways, I really hope you liked this chapter even though it created its own path within the world of Prydain and didn't follow the movie to the tee. Please let me know what you thought! Even if you didn't like it *****


	23. End of a Rough Day

Chapter 23

Riku grabbed Hinata's arm and lightly pulled her back to be beside him as Tylwyth led all of them further into the forest back to her home. Hinata slowed her pace to match Riku's and looked at him expectantly, waiting to see what he wanted. Staying silent, Riku waited until Bedivere and Mordred were far enough in front of them so he could talk privately with Hinata.

Once they were out of earshot of the group Riku whispered worriedly to Hinata, "Are you alright? You haven't said anything since you heard Mordred tell you what I did to the Horned King."

Hinata sighed and momentarily closed her eyes, unsure what to say. After a moment she responded, "It's just a lot to take in. I don't know how to feel about it."

Riku lightly scoffed, "You're telling me. I can't remember anything I did and then to have it shoved in my face is… unsettling."

She eyed him sympathetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't even think about how hard this must be for you." Taking a deep breath she forced a smile, "In the end, I'm just glad you're alright. I was really worried about you."

Smirking, Riku pushed aside the disconcerting emotions inside him and slid his hand that was grabbing Hinata's forearm down to her hand. "Worried about me? I was worried about you, especially when you left with Hen Wen on your own."

Hinata slightly frowned, "How did you know I was with Hen Wen?"

Awkwardly chuckling, Riku used his free hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "Remember when I told you someone was following Taran?" Seeing Hinata slightly nod, he continued, "Um, well, that someone was me and those two guys." He nodded towards Bedivere and Mordred walking ahead of them.

Hinata's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, but she remained silent. Something told her that it was probably for the best that Riku was the one following them. After a minute of silence, Hinata concluded, "So you saw me take Hen Wen when we got out of the pond?"

"Yeah, and Pretty Boy here wouldn't let me go after you." Mordred sneered as he overheard them talking. "He even pulled out his sword on me and threatened to use it if I didn't back down. Your boyfriend has balls of steel, I'll tell you that."

Riku groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose slightly agitated as Hinata felt her cheeks flush from embarrassment. "Mordred," Bedivere softly scolded him, "You really should refrain from saying such crude things."

Mordred just laughed and defended, "Well it's true!"

"We're here!" Tylwyth squealed out, interrupting their conversation.

They stood back at the clear pond where the Fair Folk lived peacefully under the water's surface. Bedivere walked up to be beside Tylwyth, asking her things about her home and about her people. Hinata smiled as she looked around, remembering when she was here with her other travelling group.

Gasping she looked over at Riku and worriedly asked, "What happened to Taran and the others?"

Riku took a deep breath, knowing Hinata was most likely not going to like his answer, "We captured them once they found the cauldron and brought them back to the castle."

Thinking back to the castle, Hinata remembered that after the cauldron was destroyed, the entire building had collapsed. She wasn't happy with that fact Riku helped capture them and hoped that they were alive. When she didn't say anything for a couple minutes, Riku looked at her expectantly, wanting to hear her reaction.

She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to figure out what she should say. Honestly, she felt lost for words about everything she had been hearing about Riku lately. Finally she decided to ask the simple and dreaded question, "Are they still alive?"

Riku looked away, avoiding her gaze, "I don't know."

Hinata felt her heart irk with ire and sadness. She had begun to care for the small group she had travelled with. Even if the time was short, she had felt as if she could count them as friends. Angrily, she yanked her hand away from Riku and crossed her arms, not wanting to be near him at the moment. Her emotions seemed to be on the frits. Going from being relieved Riku was alive to being unbelievably bewildered by everything he had done. All she knew was that it was probably for the best if she kept her distance from him for the time being. Riku didn't reach back for her hand or really react at her sudden coldness, he knew deep down that what he had done to Taran and his friends was wrong. For all he knew, he had led them to their death.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hinata walked towards Bedivere and Tylwyth to say her farewells as her and Riku were going to be leaving shortly. As she walked away, Mordred came up to Riku and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about what she thinks about it. You were just doing your job."

Riku narrowed his eyes at Mordred and said suspiciously, "That's… nice of you to say."

Mordred put his hands up in fake surrender, "I have my moments." Changing his demeanor to being serious he warned him, "But really kid, you don't need her holding you back. You took that job and you got it done. You even killed the king and that takes guts." Hitting Riku harshly on the back and getting a frustrated wince from Riku, he finished, "You have potential to be something great. Don't let some female keep you from that just because it doesn't fit into her moral code or whatever."

Sighing, Riku glanced over at Hinata as she seemed to be forcing a smile while talking with the others. Shaking his head he countered Mordred, "Thanks for the advice, but I don't think Hinata's like that. It's just a lot for her to take in. She'll come around."

Mordred huffed and then turned around to walk away, "Whatever you say kid, don't say I didn't warn you."

Hinata glanced back at Riku and caught him looking at her as he talked with Mordred. Pushing a little bit of hair behind her ear she felt herself slightly flush with embarrassment. She knew that she was handling everything about Riku's recent actions poorly and worried she wasn't being a good supporter for him. He was by himself and probably trying to keep himself and her safe. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but she felt special that Riku would go so far as to pull his sword on someone who desired to harm her; not that she couldn't have handled Mordred on her own. She shifted her gaze to Mordred and sized him up; nodding to herself when she was fairly certain she could take him on. Sighing, she crossed her arms and looked back at Tylwyth as she beamed, talking with Bedivere. From the way she was pulling on her small dress and occasionally blushing, Hinata was fairly sure Tylwyth had a school girl crush on Bedivere. Probably from all the attention he was giving her and that he wasn't such a sore sight. He did have an undeniable charm about him and was intently listening to every word that came out of Tylwyth's mouth. Hinata rolled her eyes at the obviousness of Tylwyth's feelings and wondered if Bedivere thought it odd that a young girl thought he was attractive.

She looked up at the sky and saw twinkling stars appear one by one in the darkening sky. The sun was almost completely under the horizon and the air was beginning to chill considerably. Instinctively she rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to create personal warmth. She jumped, slightly surprised, when Tylwyth flew in front of her face with a frown. "What's wrong?" Hinata asked the small fairy girl.

Tylwyth crossed her arms as she stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, "I don't want to go home. Can't I stay with you?"

Hinata sweetly smiled and assured her, "You're family needs you Aiko." She quickly covered her mouth as she heard her sister's nickname roll so easily off her tongue.

Cocking her head to the side in confusion, Tylwyth asked, "Is that a nickname?"

Taking her hand away from her mouth, Hinata noticed that Riku was suddenly beside her. He had most likely heard what she said and was there for support. She looked over at him; thinking that he was so much better at being there for her than she was for him. Seeing Riku lightly smile at her, she looked back over at Tylwyth and reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, that's what I call my younger sister and you remind me of her."

Tylwyth beamed, "I love it! From now on, I'm having everyone call me Aiko!"

"Oh but Tylwyth is such a beautiful name." Bedivere countered, with a smile.

She played with her hair and giggled, "You can call me Tylwyth if you want to."

Hinata rolled her eyes again; it was obvious Bedivere was milking the affection of the girl. Not like he got to meet a Fair Folk every day. Looking back at Tylwyth she went back to getting her home, "But really, Tylwyth."

"I think you mean Aiko!" Tylwyth interrupted.

Forcing a smile, Hinata continued, "Alright, Aiko. You really should get home. It's too dangerous to travel with me and Riku and your family is probably worried sick by now. I kept you out a lot longer than I initially intended."

Tylwyth's shoulders slumped slightly as she began to realize that Hinata was right. She looked pleadingly over at Bedivere, "You want me to stay, right?"

"Your place is with your people." Bedivere confirmed, trying to ignore the pout she gave in response.

Looking down at her feet and rubbing her tiny hands together, Tylwyth resigned, "Alright, I'll go home." Hinata smiled and held out her hand, which Tylwyth quickly landed on her palm. Hugging Hinata's thumb she squeaked, "I'm going to miss you Hina. Thank you for the adventure."

Hinata smiled at the tiny girl in front of her, "I'll miss you too Aiko. And thank _you_ for helping me find my way." When she saw the shimmer of a tear going down Tylwyth's cheek she assured her, "Hey, this isn't goodbye. I'm sure we'll see each other again someday."

Reluctantly, Tylwyth let go of Hinata's thumb and wiped the wetness away from her face. She smiled sadly up at Hinata then flew to Bedivere to say goodbye to him. Hinata looked over at Riku, who was still next to her. She still felt conflicted about how she was feeling, but she was glad that he was beside her. After Tylwyth was done saying her farewells she spun and turned into a blue sparkling mist and flew into the pond. The water shined brilliantly as she passed through, but soon turned back to its reflective calm as if nothing had ever happened.

Hinata stared absently at the water, thinking about everything that had recently happened, when she noticed some sort of red liquid dispersing through the clear pond. Shooting her gaze up she was surprised to see a shirtless Bedivere washing his bloodied tunic in the pond. Feeling her face flush she turned away, only to see Mordred taking off his tunic. Becoming more nervous by the second she darted her gaze again and looked over at Riku. He was fidgeting with the top of his tunic trying to get a button undone. It seemed as if he liked the idea of cleaning the blood off of his clothes. That's when it hit Hinata that she must look like a hot mess. She looked down at her once white dress to see it stained with dirt and dried blood, no doubt from when she escaped the castle. She reached behind her and touched her once silky hair, to find it oily and tangled. Feeling embarrassment rise in her gut she slowly walked up to the edge of the pond to see her reflection. When she saw the state of her unkempt hair and clothes from her recent travels she lightly groaned. She couldn't believe Riku was seeing her like this. Burying her face momentarily in her hands she deeply sighed, hoping she could take a warm shower once she and Riku were back on the gummi ship.

Smiling at the thought of a shower she looked up and turned around to ask Riku when they were going to leave. She was met with Riku taking off his tunic, exposing his toned chest and muscles. Feeling her face flush, Hinata quickly looked away to keep herself from drooling. He had gone through just as much or possibly even more than her and he still looked close to perfection. She mentally grumbled to herself at her misfortune as Riku walked up to the pond to clean his tunic. He kneeled by the edge of the water and copied Bedivere's movements with cleaning the blue fabric in his hands. Hinata broke out of her small pity party and watched as Riku attempted to clean his clothes. He looked so determined, his face serious as he would periodically look up at Bedivere or Mordred to see how they were doing it. It seemed like such a simple task, but he took it so seriously.

Putting her hand to her mouth, Hinata stifled a giggle, thinking Riku was being rather cute. Riku momentarily stopped what he was doing and looked up at Hinata and asked, "What is it?"

Hinata clasped her hands in front of her, "Oh it's nothing really. When are we going to leave?"

Riku shrugged as he went back to cleaning his tunic and Hinata caught herself admiring his back muscles. "We can leave in the morning. It's late now and we have a long journey ahead of us, so we could use the rest." Riku replied after a few moments, trying to keep up the appearance that they lived somewhere on Prydain.

"What area of Prydain do you two reside in?" Bedivere asked curiously, lifting his green tunic out of the water.

Both Riku and Hinata froze, not sure how to respond. Neither of them knew anything about the different towns in Prydain. Before Riku could come up with something, Hinata spoke up. "Um… north?"

Bedivere thought for a moment, "The only place remotely livable up north is the Eagle Mountains."

Riku intervened before things got too unbelievable, "Yeah, the Eagle Mountains, that's where we live."

Both Bedivere and Mordred exchanged confused looks. "I never knew people actually lived there; especially two people as young as you." Bedivere admitted.

"We can take care of ourselves," Riku affirmed, hoping Bedivere would stop pressing the issue.

"Come on man," Mordred interrupted nudging Bedivere, "Leave the kid alone. Who cares where they live?"

Riku and Hinata sighed relieved as Bedivere shrugged and dropped the subject. A low growl caught Hinata's attention as Riku clasped his stomach. She looked down at Riku, realizing the sound came from him. None of them had really eaten much that day, if at all. Looking around, Hinata saw a small stream connected to the pond, flowing further into the forest. Walking by the path of water she called back, "Unless any of you have some food, I think I'll follow this stream to find some. Tylwyth told me that berries grow near them."

Riku looked up slightly worried at Hinata, not wanting her to go out alone in the dark. Noticing his resistance, Hinata placed her hands on the hilts of her swords, "No worries, I can take care of myself."

Another hungry growl from his stomach caused Riku to resign, "All right, I think that's a good idea."

Standing up, Bedivere slung his wet shirt over his shoulder, "Indeed, we will work on creating a small fire while you find food. We'll sleep here tonight before parting our separate ways tomorrow morning."

Hinata smiled and slightly inclined her head in thanks before following the brook further into the dark forest. Thankfully, the moon was full tonight and shone brightly through the trees, illuminating her path. Tired, Hinata trudged along the creek, keeping a keen eye for anything that resembled a berry bush and occasionally tripping on a rock or root sticking out of the ground. A few silent minutes had passed when she heard voices approaching from the distance. Unsheathing her swords, Hinata stood defensively, prepared for anything. She was surprised when through the brush appeared Taran, Princess Eilonwy, and Fflewddur. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she quickly sheathed her swords and embraced her friends before they had even noticed her.

"I'm so glad you all are okay!" She exclaimed hugging them tightly.

Eilonwy squeaked in surprise by the unexpected stranger grabbing her, but once she heard Hinata's voice she grinned, "Oh Hinata! It's good to see you are alright."

Composing her sudden outburst of happiness, Hinata let them go and took a couple steps back, beaming. It was funny really; when she was travelling with them she hadn't cared much for any of them. Being separated and hearing they were most likely dead gave her a new appreciation for them. Smiling she chimed, "So how did you guys escape the castle? I heard you got captured."

Taran huffed and crossed his arms, "Yeah, no thanks to that boy Riku."

Fflewddur quickly agreed, "Quite, yes indeed. That boy of yours was the one responsible for capturing us!"

Hinata uncomfortably rubbed her hands together, "I heard about that." Looking up at her friends apologetically, "He's sorry for it though, he was only following orders."

Taran scoffed, "And I suppose he was following orders when he gutted the Horned King?"

Suddenly feeling defensive for Riku, Hinata exclaimed, "It's not like you guys particularly liked the guy!"

"But to kill him so… well so brutally," Eilonwy softly worried, "No one deserves that. He didn't even give the King a chance to fight back."

Crossing her arms, Hinata felt stuck. She wished she had seen what Riku had done and wondered why he had no memory of it. Looking back at the group before her she asked, "What exactly happened?"

"You mean you don't know?" Fflewddur asked surprised.

Hinata shook her head, "No, I mean, I heard the gist of it; but I want to know the details."

Taran and the other two exchanged worried looks; wondering if they really should tell Hinata what happened. Eilonwy stepped forward and sighed, "She has a right to know." Looking straight into Hinata's eyes, Eilonwy explained everything that had happened with Riku when they saw him.

Quietly listening, Hinata's mind was spinning with differing emotions and conflicted thoughts. Her heart couldn't make out what she was feeling. As Eilonwy finished, Fflewddur pointed out another strange thing that had occurred, "Another odd thing was that his voice wasn't his!"

That caught Hinata's full attention, "Wasn't his voice? How is that possible?"

Fflewddur stepped forward, "It was as if another person was speaking the same time as him. There was his voice and then a deep man's voice along with it. It was…." His voice trailed off.

"Unsettling…" Taran finished, staring absently at the ground; not liking the subject they were talking about. Both Eilonwy and Fflewddur nodded their heads in agreement.

Putting her hand to her chin, Hinata was deep in thought. This piece of information was helping her complete the puzzle inside her mind. Without looking up at the group she pondered aloud, "The cauldron could bring the dead back to life right?" Without waiting for an answer she continued, "Well, what if some dead spirit went inside Riku and took him over while the cauldron was activated?" Looking up to the others to see their reactions, she shrugged, "He isn't talking or acting weird now. In fact, he told me he can't remember anything once the cauldron was activated."

A disconcerting tension filled the air as the mere concept of being possessed or taken over was troubling. Taran finally looked up at Hinata and asked, "Why was he the only one taken over? There was hundreds of dead coming back to life."

Without missing a beat, Hinata replied, "Who knows? In the wrong place at the wrong time? Maybe he had just killed a guard and the spirit went into him?"

"You really think that's possible?" Eilonwy asked, somewhat frightened at the idea.

Hinata thought about it for a minute, "I don't know what else it could possibly be. Everything you told me he did sounds nothing like Riku. He's a skilled warrior but he isn't a killer."

"You sound almost excited about this happening to him!" Eilonwy noted.

That's when Hinata noticed the grin plastered to her face. Quickly wiping it away she awkwardly fiddled with a few strands of hair on her shoulder as she admitted, "I guess I'm just relieved it wasn't actually him that did those things. Having some other entity take control of him is… to say the least terrifying; but just knowing that it wasn't him… I don't know it makes me feel a lot better." After a moment of pause she asked, "What did you say Riku called himself when he was acting strange?"

Eilonwy looked worried, "Ansem."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Hinata wondered to herself. She knew she had heard that name before. It seemed like it should be important to her.

"You should still be careful of Riku." Fflewddur warned, "He still tracked us down and captured us. For all he knows we could have been executed upon arrival at the castle!"

"But you weren't!" Hinata pointed out, not appreciating them trying to taint Riku's character. "He was just following orders and I'm sure if he was himself when the cauldron was activated he would have helped you escape."

"Still… We only have your word for that." Eilonwy pointed out. "There is no way to know for sure. The fact that he allowed us to be tied up and brought to the Horned King himself; why it's just awful!"

Hinata put up her hands as if the attempt to calm them and herself down, as she was beginning to become impatient by their insistence. "You guys don't know Riku like I do. He had his reasons for what he did and didn't want any of you to get hurt. He must have known that the King wouldn't hurt you."

Taran crossed his arms irritated and blurted out, "You're just blinded by how much you like him! You can't see what an awful person he really is!"

Shooting a glare at Taran, Hinata felt anger rise up in her chest as her hands formed into tight fists. She fought the urge to punch Taran right in his jaw. These people weren't her friends like she had thought. Only people trying to convince her that the one person she cared for wasn't who she thought. They didn't know anything about Riku. Sure, he wasn't exactly a model citizen; but he would never go out of his way to hurt other people. Taking a deep breath, Hinata attempted to quell her rage and simply narrowed her eyes at the people in front of her. "Look," She hissed, "You guys don't know anything about me or Riku. I suggest you leave both of us alone." Turning away from the group to continue following the stream she called back; "Now if you don't mind, I'm kind of busy looking for food."

"Hinata, please wait!" Eilonwy called after her, being ignored. She was about to run up to grab Hinata's arm, but Fflewddur put his arm out to stop the Princess.

"N-Now Princess, I think it would be best if we leave her be." Fflewddur advised her, "She clearly doesn't want to hear what we have to say."

A sudden rustle in the bushes caught their attention as Riku burst into the clearing. Taran stood protectively in front of Eilonwy, trying to look as intimidating as he could. Riku didn't notice the group at first due to his dark surroundings as he seemed to be looking for something or someone. Cupping his hands around his mouth he harshly whispered, "Hinata, are you there?"

"She's following this stream." Eilonwy called out to Riku from behind Taran, getting a slight jolt from Riku.

Riku turned to face where the voice had come from and finally saw the three people in front of him. He half smiled relieved, "I'm really glad you guys are alive. Hinata has been worried sick."

Taran scoffed, "Yeah, no thanks to you. Have any other evil plans we should know about?"

Confused, and a little irritated Riku responded, "Look, I'm sorry I captured you guys; but you're alive so there's that. Now where did you say Hinata was? I heard some voices from the camp and wanted to see if she needed any help."

Eilonwy was about to reiterate where Hinata was when Taran interjected, "You know she likes you way too much. She's missing all the horrid things you have been doing!"

Crossing his arms, Riku glared at the boy. He remembered from their first encounter that he had a nasty habit of speaking out of line. Deciding to take the bait Taran was dangling in front of him he bit, "Yeah, like what?"

"Capturing us and leaving us to die is one thing!" Taran growled, "And that was before you were even possessed! We told Hinata everything you did and she was smiling! Claiming you had your reasons for doing everything you did. Well you know what? I think you don't care about other people or who gets hurt, as long as you get the job done. I bet you're just using Hinata for some personal gain and then will throw her out as soon as she becomes inconvenient."

He was about to keep going until Fflewddur yanked back on Taran's shoulder, "Taran, that is quite enough. You saw what he did to the Horned King, no need to provoke the man."

His warning was too late as Riku angrily summoned Soul Eater and pointed it straight at Taran's throat. "Do you really think I'm that shallow? You've known me for one day and you think you know everything about me?" He laughed mockingly at Taran, "You really understand nothing!"

Taran glared back at Riku undeterred, it seemed the recent events had grown his courage. "Threatening us with your sword does nothing but prove me right."

Taking a deep breath, Riku drew back and dissipated Soul Eater, still glaring at Taran. Without breaking eye contact with Taran he asked Eilonwy, "Where did Hinata go?"

Trembling, Eilonwy pointed down the stream where Hinata had gone. Within an instant Riku turned away and walked where the Princess had pointed. He walked in silence, thinking about everything Taran had said as the words were burning in his mind. He wondered if he really was using Hinata for his own personal gain. He hadn't meant to. Maybe Taran was right, he had changed since he left the islands. He was doing things he was sure both Sora and Kairi would disapprove of. There had to be a reason he was changing so much. Maybe he was just growing as a person. He had gained the trust of Mordred and Bedivere, so it had to be possible that he was doing something right. Shaking his head, he tried to get Taran's words out of his mind. He didn't need those snarky comments bringing him down. Mordred said he had the potential to be something great and Hinata was going to be with him when he reached that greatness. At least, he hoped she would be.

"Riku?" He heard Hinata's sweet voice, like honey to him at the moment. He looked up with a small smile, immediately feeling a little more at ease from seeing her in front of him. She had lifted the front of her dress to create a pouch for all the berries she had found further down the stream.

Without answering her he came up close to her and cupped her face in his hands. Immediately he hungrily took her lips into his. Releasing all the emotional turmoil he had bottled up from them being apart and from everything Taran had accused him of. Hinata sighed in his mouth as she almost slipped her grip on her dress that was holding all of the berries. Riku wished there was nothing between them so he could pull her into a close embrace, but settled with running his hands along her sides; sending shivers through her from his touch. As Riku attempted to deepen the kiss, Hinata slightly pulled away to get a breath.

"Riku," She whispered hoarsely, trying to keep her composure as Riku began kissing along her jaw, "Can't you do this when I'm not holding our dinner? You're going to make me drop it."

Riku smiled as he reluctantly pulled back and planted a light kiss on the tip of her nose, "Oh you're no fun."

Hinata's cheeks were dusted a dark rose which was barely visible in the moonlight as she lightly laughed, "Excuse me, I am tons of fun. I don't think you would be quite so touchy if I were to drop all of our food on the ground. Wasn't it your tummy growling earlier?"

Pulling his hands back from Hinata's waist, Riku grabbed a handful of the golden berries from the pile Hinata had in her makeshift dress basket. As they walked back towards the camp together, Riku threw a berry into his mouth. His eyes widened as he finished the first berry and immediately stuffed the rest of the berries into his mouth at the same time.

Hinata laughed when she saw Riku hungrily devour the fruit, "They're delicious aren't they? Tylwyth got me some when we were taking Hen Wen home. I had a feeling you would like them."

Grabbing another handful, Riku commented, "I hope Bedivere and Mordred aren't hungry, because there won't be any left for them at this rate."

"Well then that's your last handful until we get back to camp." Hinata ordered, ignoring the discontented look she got from Riku. "I don't want to make a second trip tonight. This one was stressful enough."

Attempting to slow his pace on eating his handful of berries Riku asked, "I take it you ran into Taran then?"

Hinata got an angry essence as she grumbled, "Yeah, all three of them don't have a clue what they're talking about! They were just so… aggravating! And here I was worried about them." Pausing for a moment to calm herself down, Hinata realized something, "How did you know I ran into Taran?"

Swallowing a berry Riku admitted, "I heard some voices in the forest and went looking for you to make sure you were alright. That's when I ran into them."

She looked at him, eyes filled with worry and sympathy, "Taran didn't say anything did he?"

Riku scoffed, almost dropping the remaining berries in his hand, "That brat needs to learn when to shut up."

Leaning her head briefly against his shoulder Hinata comforted, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Riku brushed his frustration off, "Like you said, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I'm sorry for the way I was acting around you earlier." Hinata admitted, "You needed someone to be there for you and I just stormed off angrily like some two year old throwing a tantrum." Sighing, she stopped walking and looked regretfully at the berries in her dress, "Back on the island I told you I trusted you and earlier today I nearly broke that promise."

Riku walked behind Hinata and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, nuzzling into her neck causing her to giggle. "I know you trust me Hinata. But thanks."

Hinata hummed in appreciation as Riku lightly kissed her neck, "You know you're being awfully flirty tonight. Are you feeling alright?"

She struggled to keep in a shudder as she heard Riku's voice next to her ear, "Just glad we are back together. I can't tell you how worried I was about you."

As he let go and walked around her he reached for another handful of berries before Hinata yanked the pile out of his reach. Slightly scowling up at her Riku sulked in resignation as they continued walking.

Hinata laughed, "If you are acting like this with only being away from me for a day, I can only imagine how you're going to react when you see Sora or Kairi again. Are you going to jump them or something?"

Riku snorted in laughter and slightly shoved Hinata's shoulder, "No, it's different with you. I can't do the same stuff with them as I can with you."

"So you're saying you only like me for my body?" Hinata egged him on, smirking and giving him a wink; laughing when Riku only shot her a glare.

"That's not it and you know it." Riku argued crossing his arms, trying to seem miffed; but struggling to keep a smile hidden.

Before they knew it they reached the campsite where Bedivere and Mordred were sitting around the fire. Both of them knew that they could have easily beamed back to the ship when they were alone, but silently they wanted to avoid returning to Hallow Bastion as long as they could. It would be nice to actually enjoy being in another world without some urgent mission floating over them. Smiling, they walked towards the fire to share the berry dinner and enjoy lying under the stars.

***** Author's Note: Sorry they have been in Prydain so long! Next chapter they will be leaving and heading to the next world. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not as much action but I had a lot of fun writing it. Also, I am going to be going out of town for a week and a half for my best friend's wedding. I will be bringing my laptop with me so I can still write; however, I don't know how busy I will be with helping with the wedding and watching my 8 month old son. So it's fairly possible the next chapter will be a two week wait instead of one; most likely not, but a warning just in case. Anyways, I hope all of you have a wonderful week! *** **


	24. Leaving Prydain

Chapter 24

Closing his eyes, Riku felt the cool night wind brush past him and shivered at the sensation of it reacting with his still damp tunic. The camp fire was beginning to die down as everyone except Riku slept. He had volunteered for first watch tonight. Looking down he smiled as Hinata lay fast asleep on his lap. Absently, he played with her hair and thought through all the things that had happened lately. It seemed that ever since Hinata had come into his life everything had changed. He wasn't the same person he was a couple years ago. All of the things he had dreamed of were finally coming true. He never knew he would actually get off the island; yet here he was on his third new world.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Hinata began to stir. She tiredly yawned as she slightly opened her eyes to look at Riku and tried to smile. Riku smiled back and moved his hand from her hair to her shoulder. Softly rubbing his thumb against her he asked, "How did you sleep?"

She put her hand over Riku's, "Alright, it's starting to get cold."

Riku looked up at the dimming embers of the fire, "I can get the fire going again."

Hinata shook her head and mumbled sleepily, "No, I don't want to move."

"So you would rather freeze than move?" Riku quietly chuckled.

Already dozing back to sleep, Hinata nodded her head and Riku just shrugged and began once again to play with her hair. He paused when he noticed Hinata stiffen up at his touch. "Is something wrong?" He whispered concerned.

"My hair is so gross from all the travelling," Hinata admitted, "It's probably isn't the nicest thing to touch."

Riku rubbed a few strands between his fingers, "Doesn't feel too bad. I think it's really soft; but I can stop if you want me to, I was just bored."

Yawning, Hinata shook her head, "It's fine if you don't mind, I guess I was just embarrassed."

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then whispered, "Well don't be."

Hinata smiled at his words and snuggled into him, falling back asleep. Riku sat back up and looked around the forest; he was going to have to wake Bedivere soon for the second watch. He waited for Hinata to completely fall back asleep before moving. Ever so slowly, he moved her head off of his lap and placed her on the ground. He unbuttoned his tunic and rolled it up to place under her as a pillow. The chilling wind initiated goosebumps to cover his skin, causing him to shiver. Standing, he went over to the dying fire and placed some more wood on the dying coals. He blew into them, causing the embers to glow a bright orange. After a few more breaths, a small fire had caught on the dry wood. Riku took a moment to appreciate the emanating warmth before heading over to Bedivere, who was lying on his back with his arms behind his head. Riku was surprised to find him awake and looking at the stars.

Bedivere inclined his head towards Riku as he approached, "I awoke a couple minutes ago. You are welcome to head off to sleep now. I will keep watch."

As he spoke, Riku instantaneously felt a wave of tiredness flow through him. He hadn't realized just how exhausted he was. Simply nodding his head, Riku turned around to head back over to Hinata, when he felt a vibration on one of his belt loops. Quickly, he slammed his hand over it, realizing it was the small black device from Maleficent and she was calling him. He looked back at Bedivere to see if he noticed the sound, but he did not seem to react. Relieved, Riku walked away swiftly, trying to go into the forest so he could talk without anyone noticing.

Feeling he was out of ear shot, Riku pulled out the still vibrating device and answered it. He fought back the wrenching feeling of his heart as Maleficent's face showed on the small screen.

"I apologize if I woke you." Maleficent apologized in a way that Riku was sure she was being insincere.

Riku deeply sighed, not wanting to talk to her, "What do you want?"

"I assume you have completed your mission; however, I have not been alerted to your return to the vessel." Maleficent informed him, obviously unhappy with them delaying their return.

"Look, we ended up travelling with a group of people and can't just leave them." Riku admitted, "We are going to leave in the morning."

"I would suggest you return swiftly," Maleficent warned him, "I am after all, aiding you in finding your friends."

Riku fought back a groan, "It's only a few hours. We just wanted to…"

"I have a lead on Sora," Maleficent interrupted him, getting a surprised look from Riku, "A lead that you need to follow before it goes cold. A few hours of delay may prove too late."

"Sora?" Riku said excitedly, a little too loud, "Where?"

"There will be no more information given until you and that girl return to the vessel." Maleficent quipped, before abruptly cutting the call, informing Riku that she was finished talking.

Riku's heart was racing with excitement, they might finally get Sora. All they needed to do now was find Kairi, and then they would all be together again. Quickly, he clipped the black device to his pants and ran back to camp. As he reached the clearing of the camp site, he slowed to a walk. Bedivere was standing and walking slowly towards the fire. Riku wondered how he was going to explain that he and Hinata had to leave in the middle of the night.

Walking over to Bedivere he whispered, "Look, something has come up. Hinata and I need to go."

Bedivere had his arms behind his back as he stood straight and looked at the fire. He took a moment to answer, it seemed like something was on his mind. After a few seconds of silence he replied, "I understand." Turning around to face Riku he lifted a small necklace he had around his neck and handed it over to him. It was a simple silver chain with a dark green pendant. Riku took it in his hand and examined the pendant; it seemed to have a glowing yellow light inside of it, just waiting to get out. He looked up at Bedivere in slight confusion as Bedivere explained, "If you ever require my aid, use this to summon me. No matter where you are I will come."

Riku looked back down at the necklace and wrapped his hand around it, "Thanks." He looked back up at Bedivere and lightly smiled before turning around to wake Hinata.

"Oh, Riku," Bedivere called out to him. "I do hope you find Sora."

Stopping in his tracks, Riku looked over his shoulder surprised at Bedivere but he was already looking the other way. Turning back around he knelt down by Hinata and lightly shook her shoulder.

"Hey Sleepy Head," Riku whispered, "It's time to get up."

Hinata opened one eye and saw that it was still dark out. She mumbled, "It's still dark out. I thought you said we were leaving in the morning."

"Yeah well, that was before I found out about Sora." Riku informed her, knowing that would cause her to wake.

As he expected she quickly sat up and exclaimed loudly, "You know where Sora is?"

"Hey! You know I'm trying to sleep!" Mordred grumbled. "Why are all of you talking so loud?"

"Riku and Lady Hinata are departing." Bedivere informed him.

Mordred groaned and sat up, "Why are you leaving now? Just leave in the morning."

"Something came up," Riku said, wanting to get a move on.

Realizing that Riku wasn't going to divulge where he was headed, Mordred reached into a brown satchel beside him and pulled out a small dagger. It had a wavy blade and a dark red hilt. Standing up he walked over to Riku and handed him the dagger, "If I learned anything from traveling with you it's that there is more to you than meets the eye. It's obvious that both of you aren't from around here and I want in on whatever it is you're doing. So if you ever find something that really needs killing, use this and I'll be there."

Riku took the dagger confused the looked up at both Bedivere and Mordred, "Do you always give parting gifts to people you work with?"

Mordred scoffed, "I can take it back. I just felt like giving it to you."

"No, I'll take it." Riku admitted, "Thanks… I guess."

Hinata stood up and grabbed Riku's tunic that she had been using as a pillow. She lightly grabbed Riku's arm, letting him silently know that they had to get going. Riku awkwardly smiled at Mordred and Bedivere, not sure what to say. He nodded his head towards them before turning around to walk into the forest with Hinata.

"Hey Riku," Mordred called out, receiving a very surprised look from Riku for actually using his name, "Be careful alright?"

Riku just smiled and replied, "You too guys. See you later."

Bedivere smiled and nodded as Mordred just crossed his arms. Turning back around, he walked into the forest with Hinata. He looked down at the necklace and dagger they had given him and wondered if they actually worked. Soon, he and Hinata were out of earshot and Hinata asked, "So where is Sora?"

Riku stopped walking with Hinata next to him as he pulled out the black device to get to the ship. "Maleficent called me and told me she has a lead on him. She won't tell me more until we are back on the ship."

Hinata slightly groaned, "You know, she's really good at playing us."

He simply grunted in reply as he beamed both of them back to the vessel. Once they were both aboard he said, "I know, it annoys the hell out of me." Walking over to the control board to call Maleficent he put down the gifts and admitted, "But she did hopefully find Sora. So at least she is keeping up her end of the deal."

Plopping down in one of the chairs in the cockpit, Hinata sighed, "Yeah I guess that's true."

The ship instantly began to move, flying them away from Prydain. As the computer was connecting to Maleficent, they looked out the windshield at the shrinking planet. Riku hoped they would someday go back to it and explore. Sighing, he looked back at the screen as it was having trouble connecting. He realized that he was back in his regular clothes, only still shirtless. Looking over at Hinata, she was also back in her normal outfit and holding his shirt. After a couple minutes, he gave up on calling Maleficent and decided that she would call him herself. Walking over to Hinata he reached out for her hands, which she happily gave him after she put down his shirt. He pulled her out of her chair into a warm embrace. Tightly wrapping his arms around her he admitted, "I've wanted to do this since I saw you again."

Hinata wrapped her own arms around Riku and relaxed in his hold. With everything that had happened in Prydain, it was so reassuring to be in his arms again. He was like her rock during troubled times. They stood in silence, enjoying each other's warmth and security. Hinata slightly pulled back to look at Riku and he smiled warmly at her. Lately it seemed that he was beginning to have a softer side he only showed with Hinata and she loved it. He moved one of his hands to caress Hinata's cheek and she leaned into his touch and lightly kissed his palm. Riku grinned as he leaned in and took her lips into his own. He slid his hand to her waist pulled her in closer. Hinata sighed into his mouth as she put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

Suddenly they heard someone clear their throat, "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything."

They pulled apart immediately; Hinata flushed deep red as Riku pulled back his hands from her and closed his eyes in frustration. It seemed that the computer had finally connected to Maleficent. Clearing his own throat, he turned to face Maleficent as Hinata scurried embarrassed to the other room.

"You need not seem so flustered," Maleficent told him, "You are after all, the one who called me."

"Whatever," Riku snapped, not wanting to discuss it, "We are back on the ship, what do you know about Sora?"

"He is going to be in a world called Traverse Town." Maleficent informed him, ready to get straight to business, "He is travelling with two companions that he seems rather close with."

Riku thought back to the travelling group back on Prydain. He wouldn't say he was close with either of those men, but Sora was a lot more sociable that him. A stray worry crossed his mind that Sora's new companions would replace him but he quickly shook the thought away. Getting back to what Maleficent was saying he asked, "How do you know all of this?"

"I have my methods." She simply told him, "All you need to know is that they work." When Riku didn't answer she continued, "The vessel you are on will take you to Traverse Town where you will find Sora. I will also be there to keep an eye on your whereabouts."

Riku scoffed, "What, scared we'll run off with Sora?"

Maleficent ignored Riku's question, "You will be arriving in town in five hours, and I suggest you get some rest."

With that she cut the call and Riku shook his head. She always had to have the last word. He walked over to his shirt Hinata had placed on the chair and pulled it over his head. His body shivered as he thought of the kiss he and Hinata had just shared. A smile spread on his lips as he realized that they had five hours together before landing in the new world. He walked out of the cockpit and entered the living area. Looking around he couldn't see Hinata, when he heard running water. She was in the bathroom taking a shower.

He decided to sit at the table that still had some food on it. Thankfully, all of the food wasn't required to be in a fridge and was still edible. The berries from the night before had been satisfying, but he still felt his mouth begin to water as he filled a plate. Absently, he snacked and wondered how Sora had fared after they were separated. He thought about how he was going to react when he saw him again and hoped Sora would join him and Hinata. Maybe they could look for Kairi together. Maleficent was manipulating them and seemed to control their every move; yet she was holding up her end of the bargain. She was allowing them to go to other worlds and giving them all the resources they needed. She even found where Sora was. Maybe working for her wasn't so bad.

He found himself thinking about the companions Maleficent had mentioned. She had said that Sora seemed close to them. He was a lot more sociable than Riku; he got along with everyone back on the island. He worried that Sora would forget about him. Shaking his head, he tried to push it out of his mind. There was no way; he and Sora had way too many memories together to let some new friends take his place.

Soon he heard the water from the shower stop as he waited for Hinata to come out. He realized that he too was probably going to take a shower once she was out. Leaning back in his chair he summoned Soul Eater and examined it. He thought back to what the Horned King had told him about it, that it was attracted to people with darkness in the their hearts.

"The stronger the darkness, the stronger the sword..." He whispered to himself, trying to think of why the sword would choose to bind itself to him of all people. There wasn't any darkness he knew of in his heart. If anyone fit the bill it would have been Mordred, not him. He wondered if Maleficent would know anything about it. He lifted it up above his head and admired the way the light shined through the blade. The texture of the actual blade almost looked like thin skin; however, the edge was incredibly sharp and the entire thing felt like metal. Anxiety filled his gut as he thought back to the off world visitor that had promised him the Keyblade.

He thought back to the words the man had said to him, "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking... its wielder you shall one day be."

He had taken the Keyblade in his hand, but suddenly wondered if he didn't have the making. That by getting Soul Eater he would no longer be able to wield the Keyblade. Not that Soul Eater wasn't an amazing sword within itself, it was just that he had been promised the Keyblade. There was something about that blade that almost called to him. He had to have it.

"W-where did you get that?" Hinata stammered as she opened the door from the bathroom, wearing a white tank top she had found in the bathroom cupboards and brown pants.

Riku looked over at Hinata, confused by the frightened look on her face. He immediately made Soul Eater disappear as he jumped out of his char and went to Hinata. Running his hands over her slightly damp arms he told her, "It's something I got in Prydain. Are you alright? You don't look so good."

Hinata recognized that sword as the one she had seen in that vision Hen Wen had shown her. A gut wrenching feeling filled her stomach as she suddenly began to feel queasy. Her mind was racing with different accusations and worries. It seemed like the Riku she kept hearing about and the one right in front of her were two completely different people. Realizing Riku was distressing about her; she rapidly blinked her eyes and shook her head to bring her out of the trance. Looking into his cyan eyes she forced a smile, "Yeah. Sorry, it's… nothing."

She tried to move past him, but Riku tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Hinata, you're a horrible liar." He commented, in a slightly frustrated tone, "What aren't you telling me?"

Anger threatened to bubble up from inside Hinata. She pushed back the urge to bring up the things he wasn't telling her; but she knew that would be uncalled for, not to mention unfair. Avoiding his prying gaze, she knew she should tell him what she saw; but wondered if it would only do more harm than good. Looking back at his face she bit her lip in worry, before finally speaking up, "When I was taking Hen Wen back to her farm, I might have done the spell we saw Taran use on her."

Riku widened his eyes in surprise and he lightened his grip on Hinata to be more comforting than confining. "Why?"

Hinata looked away again, knowing there was going to be a lot of explaining to be done. "Can we sit or lay down? It's kind of a long story."

He nodded as he let go of her shoulders and walked over to one of the beds. The idea of lying down sounded great, although he hoped he wouldn't doze off while Hinata was talking. He lifted the covers and slid under them getting relaxed and was surprised when Hinata joined him. For some reason he had expected her to go to the other bed or sit at the table. Not that he was complaining of course. Slightly smiling, he lifted his arm closest to her so she could get comfortable. She laid her head against his chest and fiddled with his shirt with her hand. He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her closer to him before pulling the covers over both of them. They stayed silent for a couple minutes, enjoying having some uninterrupted time together for once. Riku rubbed his thumb along Hinata's shoulder and felt his eyes become heavy. He realized that he hadn't slept since leaving Wonderland. With his free hand he rubbed his eye and yawned, trying to stay awake. It was to no avail as Hinata had even begun talking but he swiftly drifted off into slumber.

Hinata sighed relieved when she noticed Riku fell asleep. She hated to admit it, but she was hoping she could get him to fall asleep. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get herself to tell him what she saw. Her heart couldn't accept that the vision was true. It had to be a mistake. Just because he had the same sword didn't mean anything. There also was no telling how he would react to what she saw in the vision. In that instant she understood why Riku was keeping his own secrets from her. He was probably having the same stress she was. Snuggling into his chest before allowing herself to fall back asleep she made a silent vow to allow him to keep his secrets as long as he let her keep hers.

The intercom of the ship alerting them to their arrival in Traverse Town startled Riku awake. It took him a moment to remember where he was as his mind was still coming out of his dream state. Feeling warmth next to him, he noticed Hinata still snuggled up next to him. He felt his cheeks lightly blush as he smiled. Leaning over he gave her a small kiss on her forehead before strategically worming his way out of bed without causing her to stir; thankfully, she had proven to be a heavy sleeper if she was in a deep enough sleep. Once standing, Riku walked into the cockpit of the ship to see the planet below. It seemed to be much more technologically advanced than the last two worlds he and Hinata had visited. There were many buildings and lights originating from the surface. He smiled at the thought of seeing his best friend again, and hoped Sora would be just as happy to see him. Stretching he turned around to wake Hinata so they could head down. Half way to her, he realized that he had yet to take a shower. Looking over at the bathroom then back at Hinata, he decided that it couldn't hurt to take a quick rinse before waking her.

Within a few minutes he was clean and refreshed. As he dried his blueish silver hair with a white towel he walked out of the bathroom to find Hinata awake and sitting at the table snacking on some food while she waited for him. Smiling, he sat in the chair across from her.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.

Hinata put her finger up, motioning for him to wait as she swallowed a mouth full of fruit. After a moment she replied, "Really well actually. Probably the best I've slept since I can remember. You?"

Riku thought about it for a moment and realized that even though it had only been a five hour slumber he felt well rested. Nodding he agreed, "Same here." Smiling at Hinata he admitted, "It was really nice having you there." He finished drying his hair and began to fold the towel he had been using when he decided to pry Hinata for information. "You never finished telling me why you used Hen Wen."

Taking a deep breath, Hinata admitted, "I've decided I'm not going to tell you unless you tell me what happened on the island."

Feeling a pang of hurt and irritation, Riku was about to object. She had no right to pull that on him; especially since she had been right about to tell him before they lay down. He widened his eyes in surprised. She knew he had to have been exhausted from staying up so long. Looking up at Hinata he asked, "Did you know I would fall asleep so you wouldn't have to tell me?"

Hinata bit her lip, not wanting to admit she did. She knew it was a low blow; yet she didn't know what else to do. Looking down at her plate of food she avoided his gaze and absently stabbed her fork into some grapes. She winced when she heard Riku abruptly get up from his chair and stomp to the bathroom to put away the towel he had been using. A tense silence filled the air as Hinata waited to hear what Riku had to say. She knew he was downright vexed about her actions and he had every right to be. He had just been talking about how much he hated being played and here she was doing that exact thing to him.

After a moment Riku came back into the room. He angrily barked, "You had no right to do that! It isn't like I was forcing you to tell me!"

Hinata forced herself to look up at Riku as she apologized, "You're right, I'm sorry. I just freaked out and that was the first thing I could think of. If you stayed awake, I was going to tell you."

Riku sighed as pulled out a chair in front of him and sat on it backwards, "Well tell me now."

The familiar frustration consumed her remorse as she snapped, "Then tell me what happened on the island."

Groaning Riku hit his head on the back of the chair in front of him, "Hinata, that isn't fair. I told you I would tell you when I was ready."

"Well when will you be ready?" Hinata pried, "The longer you take in telling me the more worried I get." She put her hand on the table in front of him, "Riku, we are in a relationship. We are supposed to talk to each other about these things."

Riku scoffed, "Funny, coming from the girlfriend who is openly keeping a secret from me as we speak."

Hinata slumped back in her chair, realizing she was fighting a pointless battle. Sighing, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried to get rid of the frustration inside her. She could at least tell him about what she saw in her dream and why she used Hen Wen in the first place. With everything he had done for her, she owed him that at least. Looking away and swallowing her pride she admitted, "You're right. I'm sorry. I used Hen Wen because I was hoping she could show me my past."

Looking up surprised, Riku asked, "What happened?"

Uncomfortably hugging her arms around her waist she explained everything she had dreamed about when she went unconscious in the water then when she had decided to have Hen Wen show her everything. The only thing she strategically avoided was the actual vision. Riku listened silently, wondering about the dream Hinata had seen.

"Everything had seemed so real." Hinata explained, "I could feel Aiko holding my arm and the warmth of the library; but when I finally woke up I was soaked and freezing! There's no way that was just a dream."

Riku stood up and walked over to Hinata. He grabbed her hands and pulled her into another hug. Keeping a hand behind her neck he ran one of his hands up and down her back. It had been so long since she had mentioned her past, that sometimes he forgot she couldn't remember. He knew that having this dream sort of vision had to have been hard on her. Whispering into her hair he asked, "Did Hen Wen show you anything?"

That was the part Hinata wanted to avoid. She closed her eyes and internally fought with herself over what she should say. There was no way she could get away with not telling him something. Taking a deep breath she nodded into his chest.

Riku's hand paused moving along her back as he waited in anticipation for her to continue. When she didn't reply he slightly pulled back and put his hand under her chin, tipping her face up to look at him. Studying her face he questioned, "What aren't you telling me?"

Hinata opened her mouth, about to finally give in and splurge all of the details of the vision when Maleficent's voice could be heard from the computer in the cockpit.

"I have been alerted to your vessel's arrival to Traverse Town." Maleficent interrupted, "Why are you not on the planet's surface?"

Riku glared over at the screen in the other room before releasing Hinata and walking into the cockpit to tell Maleficent to cool it. Hinata sighed relieved and wrapped her arms around herself. She was going to have to tell Riku something eventually; but at least Maleficent's interruption bought her some more time. She and Riku were going to head to the surface to find Sora. There would be time to sort things out then. Soon Riku walked back over to her after he was done talking with Maleficent and reached for one of her hands.

"Look, if you really don't want to tell me I understand." Riku began, trying to be sympathetic for Hinata, "I haven't shared everything with you so it's only fair I let you have a few secrets as well." Taking a breath of frustration but ending it with a small laugh he admitted, "I guess I know how you feel now when I won't tell you something."

Hinata smiled as she stepped forward and gave Riku a tender kiss. She then hugged him and said, "Thank you."

Reluctantly, he hugged her back and sighed. It seemed that neither of them was going to get everything they wanted. At least Sora would be with them soon. Everything would be better once they were all together again.

***** Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was a little late! Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter is Sora! Hooray! Please let me know what you think. *****


	25. Traverse Town

Chapter 25

Hinata looked at the town around her and Riku. The ground was paved with brick and random people walked around a large courtyard. The bright lights of the town illuminated the place and the stars above were hard to make out. She squeezed Riku's hand and pointed to a small closed in area with dining tables lit by candlelight.

"Reminds me of the Daisy Café back on the island," She commented, looking back at Riku beside her. "Can we go there before we leave?"

Riku looked at the café Hinata was pointing at. He barely heard what she was saying to him as he still felt somewhat irritated from their argument earlier. Their hands were being loosely held as he made little effort to hide his frustration. He had told her that she could keep her secret; but it was eating away at him.

Realizing that Hinata was waiting for a reply he shrugged, "Sure, if you want." Looking away from the café, Riku studied the courtyard trying to find a path to explore. He saw two different ways to go and motioned his head towards tall double doors. "We'll find Sora faster if we split up, I'll look past those doors and you go behind that accessory shop."

Without waiting for an answer he began to walk away when Hinata wouldn't let go of his hand. Reluctantly, he turned around to see Hinata looking at him worried. "Riku," She began, using both of her hands to hold one of his. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking earlier and I honestly didn't mean to upset you."

Closing his eyes, Riku really wished he could lash out and demand to know what she was keeping from him. He hated being left in the dark. There was no reason she should be holding anything back from him. He widened his eyes as he realized that must be how she felt whenever he told her he wasn't going to tell her something. The events on the island before it was destroyed was something she regularly pried him about; yet whenever he told her no she would reign in her curiosity and patiently wait for him to be ready. He looked back up at Hinata, fully understanding how she felt. All of his frustration instantly melted away as he decided that if she could wait for him the least he could do was the same for her. Smiling, he pulled on Hinata's hand and drew her into an unexpected kiss. When he pulled back he ignored the looks from passer byers and looked into Hinata's eyes as her face dusted a light rose. It was the first time they had kissed in public and he didn't have a single care.

Hinata smiled back at him, also oblivious to the stares. "So I'll take that as you forgive me?"

Riku pressed his forehead against Hinata's, "I could never stay mad at you. You're too cute."

She pulled back and wrinkled her nose, "Cute? I don't know if I want to be that."

He laughed and grabbed her arms to pull her back to him, "Well you are." He gave her another quick kiss before adding, "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hinata laughed in return, "Well alright, I guess I can live with that."

Taking a couple steps back, Riku gave Hinata's hand a tight squeeze before letting go, "I still think we should split up though. If either of us finds Sora, we can call the other." When Hinata nodded he assured her, "After we find Sora we can all go eat at that café. Would that be alight?"

"I would like that." Hinata smiled and then looked towards a flight of stairs that led up to an accessory shop. "I'll head this way and let you know if I find anything."

Riku nodded and watched as Hinata headed towards the stairs. His heart began to beat rapidly in excitement that they might find Sora. Turning away, he looked towards the large brown doors across the courtyard when he saw Maleficent walking towards him. His excitement instantly died and was replaced with uneasiness. As Maleficent walked towards him, he had a feeling she purposefully waited until Hinata was gone.

Crossing his arms he asked, "What do you want?"

"My, my, such a temper," Maleficent commented as she walked towards him, "One should think twice about disrespecting the one person helping them on their quest."

"Yeah, well I don't see Sora anywhere yet, so your so called help is still in question." Riku bit back.

Maleficent waved her hand dismissively in the air before replying, "I just came to warn you that Heartless are roaming freely through this town so it would be best to be prepared."

"Why couldn't you warn me when Hinata was with me?" Riku asked with slight accusation in his voice. It was obvious that Maleficent didn't have any interest in Hinata.

"I thought you said she could take care of herself." She replied, ignoring his accusation. "I also wanted to warn you that Sora's companions are with him. While you have been toiling around looking for him, he has gone and made new friends."

Riku shook his head, "You obviously don't know Sora. He wouldn't forget about me." Pausing for a moment he glared over at the door and tried to convince himself of his own words. "Was there anything else?"

Maleficent walked gracefully past Riku, "That was all. Have a wonderful reunion."

He immediately made his way to the door and pulled out the small black device on his pants to give Hinata a call. Within seconds her face showed on the screen and Riku couldn't help but smile.

"Did you find him already?" Hinata asked surprised.

Riku shook his head, "Not yet, but Maleficent just warned me that there are free roaming Heartless around town. I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

Hinata smirked, "Sometimes I think you forget that I can fight. I even beat you once remember?"

"That time didn't count." Riku defended his honor, getting a look from Hinata. "I more just wanted you to be on your guard. I know you can take care of yourself, don't worry."

"Well thanks." Hinata laughed, "And it so did count."

Riku rolled his eyes, "We'll have a rematch soon alright? Sora can be the judge."

Hinata smiled, "Deal; but if I win, you can't go making some lame excuse of why you didn't."

After a moment of silence Riku resigned, "Fine, deal. I'll talk to you soon alright?"

"Alright, be careful." She replied.

"Will do," He assured her, then getting ready to hang up he slipped in, "And it didn't count." Before Hinata could deny it he hung up with a smirk. He was sure he would get it later for that comment but he didn't care. The look on her face before he cut her off was worth it.

Making his way to the brown doors, he pushed them open and looked around at everything he saw. There was a sign on a brick wall by the door that read _District 3_ and under the sign was a large golden keyhole. He took a few steps forward and examined his surroundings. Tall houses surrounded the space with a golden fountain in the far corner. The area was illuminated by black street lamps lining the walls. Riku walked into the center of the stone area and saw a hallway in the distance that seemed to lead to dark red door with a picture of a flame on it. Slowly, he walked towards the door and put his hand up to touch it when he felt like something or someone was behind him. Summoning Soul Eater he spun around and saw he was being cornered by Heartless. Three black imp like creatures twitched before him as their glowing yellow eyes seemed to study his every move. Without warning they lunged towards him, their small hands suddenly forming sharp claws. Not missing a beat, Riku ducked and rolled under the advancing Heartless. When he got up he was behind them and he quickly slashed them, easily cutting through their skin and causing them to disintegrate.

He didn't have any respite as ten more Heartless replaced the ones he slayed. These ones were a little more advanced. They were the size of small children with red claws and metal boots and helmets. Within an instant they surrounded Riku, their claws tapping together as they swayed in front of him. Riku drew in his breath as he readied Soul Eater and kept up his guard for the first attacker. He was not disappointed as one of them in front ran towards him flailing its claws recklessly around it. Easily he found his opening and sliced Soul Eater into the creature's head. The attack dented the metal but did not slice through. Riku jumped out of the way as it ran passed, missing him by an inch. As it made its way past, he sliced as its back, this time cutting skin. It appeared more resilient than the previous enemy, but slumped over momentarily from the hit. Riku took the opportunity of its weakness and stabbed his sword straight through the Heartless' back until the tip of the blade stuck out of its chest. That blow finally took the creature down as it disintegrated around the blade and Riku was just in time to roll out of the way of another attacker.

The fight continued in Riku's favor when soon only three remained. They wobbled over to the hallway that led to the red door and Riku quickly followed them there. There was only one hit needed for the rest of them and he knew they were attempting to escape. As he approached them he saw a small group enter from the red door, but didn't have to notice them as he gave a long horizontal slice to the Heartless. Instantly, all three of them disappeared into the wind and Riku had a chance to see the group that had walked in. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Sora between a duck and what appeared to be a dog.

"There you are!" Riku exclaimed excitedly, feeling a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders that he finally found him. Then not sure what to say next he asked, "What's going on?"

Sora's blue eyes lit up as he recognized his best friend. Walking towards him he chirped, "Riku!"

Riku smiled relieved until Sora grabbed the sides of his cheeks and began pulling on them. He swatted Sora's hands away, confused at the odd touch. Laughing, he ordered, "Hey, hey cut that out!"

"I'm not dreaming this time right?" Sora asked as Riku swatted him away.

"I hope not." Riku replied. He felt his heart slightly lurch that Sora thought he was a dream. Sora must have been missing him as much as he did. Suddenly he felt the urge to give him a hug and tell him how much he had worried but he quickly pushed the thought away. Being more open and physical with Hinata must have been affecting him. Trying to keep his cool demeanor he informed Sora, "It took forever to find you."

Sora beamed, "Riku!"

Riku smiled back and turned around to begin walking back towards the brown door he had entered from, hoping Sora would follow him. Calling behind him he said, "Hinata and I have been looking all over for you!"

"Hinata is here too?" Sora questioned, jogging up behind Riku, not wanting to lose sight of him.

Nodding, Riku informed him without looking back. "Yeah, we split up when we got here to make sure we found you. I'll give her a call once we are in the main courtyard."

Sora stopped walking, suddenly remembering something, "Wait a second, where's Kairi?"

Riku felt his heart slump as he turned around, "Isn't she with you?"

Without answering, Sora looked solemnly at his feet. Riku sighed and looked around. It seemed that they still had one more person to find. Out of all of them, Kairi was the one he worried wouldn't be able to take care of herself. Trying to remain positive and cheer up Sora he assured him, "Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island." He walked past Sora and looked up at the sky. "We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now."

Somehow even though he was saying those words, he didn't quite believe them. He remembered how Kairi had pushed him away from the door in the secret cave back on the island. Something told him that when they did find her, she wasn't going to be in good shape. And it would be because of him. His gut began filling with regret and worry as he thought of Kairi. Everything that had happened on the island was his fault. Shaking his head, he desperately tried to push the thought out of his mind. He wouldn't be on another world if it wasn't for his actions on the island. Taking a deep breath, he realized that he just had to keep working for Maleficent in order to find Kairi the fastest. He just needed Sora to come along now. Sora's so called friends had yet to say anything; there was no way they were as close as Maleficent thought. Smiling at the thought of having Sora join him and Hinata, Riku began to persuade, "We'll all be together soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this-"

A sound of a blade slicing through the air caught his attention as he swung around to see Sora destroying a couple Heartless with a strange blade. He felt a lump form in his throat as he examined the sword. It looked eerily similar to the Keyblade weapon he had been promised. Sora turned to face Riku with a smug look as he swung the blade over his shoulder and commented, "Leave it to who?"

Riku felt his breath slightly shake as he took a couple steps towards him, "Sora, what did you-"

"I've been looking for you!" Sora explained excitedly, almost proud of himself and then motioned his head to the two figures standing next to him, "With their help."

Looking over to Sora's traveling companions, Riku felt uneasy. A small white duck wearing blue clothes and a tall dog like creature holding a silver shield nodded towards him. Riku almost wanted to laugh at the duck, thinking back to when Sora had come up with the idea of talking animals. Something he had openly mocked him for, but it seemed he had put his foot in his own mouth. Not liking the idea of Sora travelling with them, he asked, "Who are they?"

The small duck cleared its throat and began to speak in a hard to understand voice, "Ahem, my name is-"

We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you." Sora blurted out, unable to contain his excitement to let his duck friend finish.

Riku forced a smile and wished that he could speak to Sora in private. Not wanting to leave his friend hanging he replied, "Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed." It was true that he was relieved to find Sora safe, but didn't like for a second that he had been making new friends along the way. Jealousy threatened to break into him as he saw the way his 'friends' stood so comfortably around him as if he was one of them.

The dog put two white gloved hands on Sora's shoulders and said in a goofy voice, "Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade master."

Riku's heart sank as he heard of Sora's title. So it really was a Keyblade. Anger began to course through him at the words. It felt as if the creature was rubbing in the fact that Sora was the master instead of him. Without thinking he made Soul Eater disappear and reached towards the blade in Sora's hand. Sora's grip had been loose as he was arguing with a comment from the duck and it easily slipped into his grasp. It felt so comfortable and right in his hand. Just by looking at it he knew that it was the same type of blade the visitor had promised him years before. Trying to play coy, he interrupted a small squabble between Sora and the duck. "So, this is called a Keyblade?"

Surprised, Sora looked back at Riku and noticed that he had taken his weapon. In the past, if someone had even tried to hold his weapon, it would instantly teleport back to him. He wondered why Riku was able to hold it and the thought suddenly worried him. Slightly panicked, Sora lunged forward, "Hey, give it back!"

Feeling as if they were back on the island and he was back to his teasing antics, Riku jumped back and almost snickered when Sora face planted into the ground. He held the Keyblade above his head to get a good look at it in the light. It had a golden handle with a silver chain hanging off the side. At the end of the chain was a small pendant that seemed to be shaped like the head of a mouse. The blade itself was round and shaped like an old key. From an onlooker it wouldn't seem dangerous, but just by holding it; Riku could feel some sort of energy emanating from it. The more he examined it, the more jealousy began oozing into him. He had been the one that was promised the blade; all those years he had kept it secret and anticipated it, only to have it given to his best friend. In the back of his mind he knew he should be happy for Sora, but instead he only began to feel contempt. Realizing that he better get rid of the Keyblade he nodded towards Sora and tossed it over to him, "Catch."

Sora caught the blade and tightened his grip around it, "Okay, so you're coming with us right?" Getting excited he leaned forward, "We have this awesome rocket! Wait 'till you see it!"

"No, he can't come!" The duck rudely intercepted.

Riku winced at his words and expected Sora to stand up for him. He was disappointed to say the least when Sora simply objected, "What?"

It was obvious Sora wasn't the same person he remembered on the island. He had made new friends. Realizing that he wasn't going to gain anything from listening to the two argue, Riku waited until they were not paying attention and swept off to a hallway that would be hidden from view by Sora. He slumped against the wall once he was out of sight. A warm sensation still lingered on the palm he used to hold the Keyblade. He clenched his fists in a fit of jealousy; that Keyblade should have been his. What's more was that Sora should have dropped his new 'friends' off so he could join up with him and Hinata. He couldn't believe that Sora was staying with those two and didn't even put up much of a fight when that dumb duck told him he couldn't tag along. Not like he was going to anyways, but Sora could have at least tried.

Grumbling under his breath he pulled out the black device to call Hinata. No sense in staying around town if the one reason they came ended up being a total bust. Within a few seconds Hinata's face appeared on the screen. Riku felt a small amount of relief from seeing her face, but it was quickly overtaken by the frustration already festering inside him.

Hinata was smiling when she first appeared, but quickly changed to worried when she saw Riku's expression "Is everything alright?"

Riku scoffed and flipped his hair, "Oh yeah, just perfect. I found Sora, but he isn't interested in us. He made some new friends and he's staying with them."

A shock then confused look came from Hinata as she noted, "That doesn't sound like Sora."

"Well it was." Riku bit back, realizing that he needed to make sure he wasn't taking out his frustration on Hinata. Taking a deep breath he calmed down and gave her an apologetic expression. "Look, I don't think we should waste our time here anymore. We can go to that café if you still want to, but I think we should leave after that. There is still Kairi to find and hopefully she'll be more welcoming than Sora."

Hinata was stunned by Riku's reaction to seeing Sora. He had bene so excited to find him. Trying to pick her words carefully she said, "Riku, Sora is your best friend. There has to be a reason he was acting the way he was. It's been less than a month since we were all together on the island, there's no way he just forgot about us or already found new friends to replace us. You seemed close to those two guys back on Prydain."

Riku looked away, "They were different. When Mordred wanted to follow you with that pig I stood up for you. I even threatened him with Soul Eater. But when Sora's friends told him I couldn't join him he didn't even try to change their mind. He just sort of keeled over and… didn't care."

She cocked an eyebrow at the words Soul Eater, wondering what he was talking about; but ignored it for the moment and went back to Sora. There had to be more to the story than Riku was letting on. Maybe he was taking things the wrong way. Taking a deep breath she looked around, "Alright, if you say so; but can I get a chance to talk to him too? Even if he won't be happy to see me, he is my friend too."

Shrugging, Riku resigned, "If you really want to. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Hinata gave him a small smile, "Thank you. I would still like to eat at that café afterwards." Studying him for a moment she asked, "Will you be alright? You seem pretty shaken."

"I'm fine." Riku said shortly, "Just disappointed." Trying to force a smile back at Hinata he said, "I'm going to walk around a little bit to cool off and then I'll meet you at that café."

"Alright," Hinata agreed, wishing she could help him feel better, "I'll let you know if I find anything."

She stared at the black device in her hands as Riku cut the call. Worry filled her gut as she thought about what Riku said. It didn't sound like something Sora would do. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding. Clipping the black device back to her gray-blue vest, she looked around the alleyway she had recently wandered into. A long water trench flowed beside her as she walked behind some buildings. She had scoured the first and second district of the town already and decided she could at least check out the alley. A few Heartless had stood in her way when she explored, but she had no trouble taking them down.

The water streamed beside her as she walked through the dark alley. Her swords were unsheathed in her hands and she would randomly twirl them with boredom. She looked up at the stars in the sky. The dimness of the alley was allowing them to show through the dark clouds. It should have been morning by now, but it almost seemed as if the town was always in night. Her skin shivered as the cool night breeze blew past her. Looking down from the sky, she peered down the long path she walked along, wondering where Sora could be. She wondered about the friends Riku had mentioned. It didn't surprise her that he would make new friends; but not ones that could ever replace Riku.

A loud quacking voice brought her out of her thoughts and instinctively she tightened her grip on her swords. The voice was coming from around the corner up ahead, and cautiously, Hinata crept up to it. She instantly relaxed when she spotted the familiar spikey brown hair popping out from the corner. Quickly sheathing her swords she called out, "Sora?"

She grinned when she saw Sora walk into the alleyway and smile surprised back at her. "Hinata," He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, "Riku told me you were here!"

Hinata's smile slightly faded when she saw the two friends Riku had mentioned, walk up beside Sora. Both of them looked relatively uneasy, most likely wondering how Hinata was going to react to them after Riku had run off. Mentally shaking off the words Riku had told her about them, Hinata decided to give them a chance. Giving a small wave to them she greeted, "Hello, my name is Hinata. I lived on the same island as Sora and Riku. What are your names?"

They instantly smiled at Hinata's kindness and the tall dog creature spoke up. "Uh, my name's Goofy." Then placing one of his white gloved hands on the duck's head he continued, "And this here is Donald."

Donald quacked angrily and pushed Goofy's hand off of him, "Get your hand off me you big Palooka!"

Ignoring Donald's angry outburst, Sora blurted out, "It's so good to see you're alright!"

Hinata grinned back at Sora, "You too! Riku and I have been really worried." She was relieved to see Sora again but finding him without Kairi caused her a whole new level of stress. They had no idea where she was.

"So," Sora began, bringing Hinata out of her thoughts, "Do you know why Riku ran off earlier? We had been talking and he just took off without saying goodbye."

Lightly biting her lip, Hinata tried to find the right words, "I think he was just expecting you to come along with us is all. He wasn't expecting you to be traveling with new friends." She nodded towards Donald and Goofy.

"We need the Keyblade for the King's mission! There isn't any time for friends." Donald broke in crossing his wings and shooting Hinata a glare.

Hinata crossed her own arms and returned the glare, "Well you're just charming aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Donald quacked.

"Wait, what's a Keyblade?" Hinata looked back at Sora confused.

Sora got excited as he held out his hand and grinned when Hinata leaned forward aghast when the Keyblade appeared in his hand. "This appeared when the island was…" He let his voice drift off before continuing. "Anyways, I ended up here in Traverse Town when I ran into this guy Leon. He told me that this Keyblade chooses its wielder and I'm supposed to use it to find and lock the keyholes of different worlds. Then I ran into Donald and Goofy and we have been traveling around to other worlds ever since."

Hinata stood up straight as Sora told her everything, taking all of it in. It seemed that he really was making it just fine on his own. And with the Keyblade, he had a mission that only he could complete. She wondered why Riku was upset after she had heard everything Sora had been up to. The whole thing got her excited and she wished she could join along. Looking up at Sora she asked, "Could Riku and I help?"

Sora was about to answer when Donald interrupted, "I already told the other guy. Not a chance!"

"What? Why not?" Hinata asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"We have to maintain the world border!" Goofy explained.

"Order!" Donald corrected exasperated. "People are supposed to stay in their own worlds. We are only traveling around because of the Keyblade."

"Riku and I have been travelling." Hinata argued, not seeing their point, "This is the fourth world we've been to."

"You've been to other worlds too?" Sora asked, "Where have you been?"

Hinata held up four fingers and counted them out, "Let's see… Here, Hallow Bastion, Prydain, and this really weird place called Wonderland."

"Wait," Sora waved his hands, "You went to Wonderland? When? We were there too!"

"No way!" Hinata exclaimed, "We woke up in Hallow Bastion and the first other world we went to was Wonderland." Hinata was about to ask when Sora was there when she suddenly remembered what Alice had said to her about the boy and his companions that were trying to save her from the queen. She instantly felt guilty for leaving Sora and his friends behind to fend for themselves. Rubbing the back of her neck she had to ask, "You didn't happen to see a girl named Alice there did you?"

All three of them leaned forward in surprise as Goofy asked, "You saw Alice?"

"Do you know where she is?" Sora asked desperately, "We were trying to save her from this queen when she suddenly went missing! And then that Cheshire Cat said she had been taken by shadows!"

"Taken by shadows?" Hinata repeated. That Cat always spoke in riddles, but she had to admit that there was a grain of truth to all of his words. She wondered what he meant by saying that Alice was taken by shadows. She and Riku weren't shadows. Trying to come up with the right words to say Hinata looked at her feet and admitted, "Riku and I got her home."

As the words left her mouth she felt her heart sink. She knew that's what Maleficent had tried to convince her that was where she and Riku were taking Alice; but something in her gut told her otherwise. Looking back up at Sora and the others she noticed all of them give a sigh of relief.

"That's good." Sora confessed, "I was really worried about her." Smiling at Hinata he noted, "Seems like you and Riku have been up to some great stuff!"

Hinata forced a smile. She wouldn't have put it like that. In fact, the longer she stayed under Maleficent's orders the more unsure she was that her and Riku were on the right side. Nodding her head, not wanting to worry Sora about her predicament she agreed, "You too. I'm really glad you are doing alright." She wanted to keep talking, but she felt the small black device on her vest begin to vibrate. Reaching up to grab it, Hinata smiled apologetically at her friends, "Sorry, I need to take this. I'm going to be eating with Riku at that café in the main courtyard if you want to meet us there."

Sora quickly nodded, but his friends didn't seem as excited about it. Hinata turned around to take the call when Sora called out to her, "Oh right, Hinata?" Hinata stopped walking to wait to hear what he had to say, "Leon told us that there's this lady called Maleficent around town. She's supposed to be bad news. Be careful alright?"

Surprised, Hinata slightly turned and looked back at Sora. She instantly wanted to tell him everything her and Riku had been up to. It seemed that her suspicions of Maleficent were right. Another vibration from the device brought her back to reality and instead she forced a strained smile. "Thanks, I will be."

With that she turned away and walked down the alley way until she was out of ear shot. Pulling out the device she answered it and was surprised to see Maleficent's face appear. Holding back a groan, Hinata mumbled, "Well, speak of the devil."

"An urgent mission has come up." Maleficent went straight to business, "You and Riku must make haste to the ship."

Hinata really did groan that time, "We literally just got here. Plus, we are supposed to eat lunch with Sora."

"My sincerest apologies," Maleficent said in such a way that Hinata was sure she didn't care in the least, "But as I said, it is urgent and requires immediate attention. I expect to be alerted to your return to the ship within the hour."

Before Hinata could object, Maleficent cut the call and it took every speck of self-control for Hinata not to crush the device in her hand. She wondered if Maleficent had heard her talk with Sora and wanted to prevent them from all meeting for food. It would have given Riku time to actually talk with Sora and reconcile any misunderstandings they had; but here was Maleficent not so subtly getting in the way of that. Hinata was sure she was up to something. Frustrated, she made her way out of the alley, back to the second district. She grumbled under her breath and wondered if she should call Riku to arrange where they should meet up; but then figured they would probably meet back in the first district in the main courtyard.

She entered the second district from the alley and slowed to a stop to sit on the edge of a fountain right outside the door. Her feet still ached from Prydain, even though she and Riku had taken the nap earlier. Light butterflies fluttered in her stomach when she thought back to cuddling next to him and she silently wished they could do that on the way back to Hallow Bastion. She examined the fountain she was on and caught her eye on a stone mosaic backdrop on it. It was a large red square with three beautifully designed white flowers. The look of it was almost mesmerizing. Hinata ran her hand through the water and sighed. She didn't want to get back on the ship again. It seemed that they didn't even need to have a room back at Hallow Bastion when all they did was travel from place to place. They never got the chance to enjoy the places they went to.

A loud bell clanged together and resonated through the still night, causing Hinata to startle and almost fall into the water. She quickly got up from her seat and looked around to find the source of the sound. There wasn't any bell in sight from where she stood. The rough sound of rock moving caught her attention and as Hinata turned around she yelped and jumped back. Fire replaced the water in the fountain as the red mosaic turned into an abstract purple one. Hinata stared in disbelief, wondering what could have caused that to happen. The bell rang out again and the fire immediately ceased. Along the top of the fountain appeared bright blue and green lights as the mosaic changed once again; this time to a green one with two white trees. A third time the bell ringed and water instantly shot out of the ground as the picture turned for the last time to a tan picture with multiple butterflies surrounding a pink flower blossom. Hinata took a couple steps forward, almost feeling drawn to the mosaic. Before she could reach it the picture flashed a bright light that caused her to cover her eyes. When she opened them she saw a translucent blue and white glow over the fountain with the shape of a keyhole in the middle. That must have been what Sora was talking about.

Hinata smiled and crossed her arms, realizing that Sora was probably the one that caused the fountain to go crazy like it did. He was, after all, searching for the keyhole of Traverse Town. Hinata turned away from the fountain and walked to the center of the district to see if she could spot Sora, knowing he had to be nearby. As she was looking around, the ground beneath her began to quake. It was as if someone or something large and heavy had landed behind her. The thought made her throat go dry as some sort of metal clanked on the stone and caused Hinata to stumble. Forcing herself to her feet, Hinata slowly turned around to see what was causing the ground to shake. Her eyes widened as she saw a tall towering metal creature in front of her. Unsheathing her swords she took a few steps back to create some distance between her and the creature.

She analyzed it, trying to figure out what she was about to go up against. It was towering over a twenty-five feet above her with purple and black metal armor. Its hands and legs floated freely away from its body and two glowing yellow eyes peered through the helmet. Hinata gasped, "You're a Heartless?"

In answer the creature lifted its black boot and attempted to crush her. Hinata snapped into fighting mode as she rolled out of the way and sliced her swords diagonally on the heel as she got to her feet. Her attack barely scratched the surface as Hinata realized that this Heartless wasn't going to be as simple as the ones she had faced earlier.

"Hinata!" She heard Sora call as he came running up with Donald and Goofy, "We'll go for the feet first, and then we'll take the hands."

Avoiding another attack, this time from the claws on its hands, Hinata yelled, "You've fought this thing before?"

"We've fought all sorts of things!" Sora explained, pointing his Keyblade towards the monster, "Fire!" The tip of the Keyblade shined a bright orange as a fireball instantaneously shot out and engulfed the left foot of the Heartless.

The head of the creature shook violently, obviously hurting from the fire; but didn't have time to recover as Donald lifted a wand into the air and summoned lightning to rain down on the creature. Goofy wound up his arm and threw his silver round shield; it clanged in between the feet of the Heartless and quickly flew back into Goofy's hand. It was obvious that the three of them knew what they were doing. Hinata smirked as she tightened her grip on her dao swords and ran towards the monster in front of them. Waiting until Goofy got the shield back in his hands and the way was clear, she went underneath the monster, sliding down to her knees as she went between its legs and sliced at both of its knees. The Heartless let out a muffled cry as it attempted to slash back at its attackers. Hinata ran out of reach just in time as it twirled its hands around its entire body, sharp claws out.

"Donald!" She cried out, as he was not so fortunate and was caught by the claws of the monster.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Donald was thrown across the courtyard and landed hard against a brick wall. Sora immediately ran towards Donald and Hinata was close behind as Goofy attempted to keep the Heartless distracted.

"Is he alright?" Hinata asked panicked as she reached him and Sora.

"He will be." Sora assured her, not even shaken, "Go back to fighting; I'll take care of him."

Hinata hesitated, but seeing the determined look in Sora's once childish eyes she took it as a hint and ran back to aid Goofy. Sora raised his Keyblade into the air and called out, "Heal!" His Keyblade turned a bright green and soon enveloped Donald. Within seconds the claw marks on Donald's skin disappeared and he opened his eyes.

Getting up and grabbing his wand he smiled over at Sora, "Thank you!"

Sora smiled and nodded as he readied his Keyblade to run back towards the Heartless. Seeing it was surrounded, the Heartless flew into the air out of reach and went for a new strategy. Landing back on the ground, it turned its body upside down. The sharp claws were now the feet and the boots were up at the hands. Everyone readied for the new fight and Sora ordered, "Still go for the boots. They have taken the most damage."

Hinata was taken aback by Sora's sudden authority and how his friends so willingly listened. Getting back into fighting mode she nodded at his orders and got ready to attack. Hitting the boots proved a lot more difficult than before as the Heartless purposefully kept them out of reach. Sora and Donald were able to do the most damage with their spells as Hinata and Goofy had to rely on getting the high ground by climbing stairs and hitting when they could. Donald raised his wand and summoned a small ice storm that caused the boots to burst into hundreds of tiny green orbs. Hinata looked confused as the three of them frantically ran after the orbs. Seeing a couple in front of her she reached out to grab them. It absorbed into her skin the moment she touched them. She was surprised when a surge of energy hit her immediately and she felt like she could take on the world. She wondered why the other Heartless she had destroyed hadn't given her anything like this, only clear bubbles that had no effect on her.

"Hinata pay attention!" Sora yelled as a claw from the creature came swirling her way.

Dodging out of reach, Hinata felt her face burn with embarrassment that Sora had to scold her. Shaking her head, she got back into the mode and joined in with the others. Together they fought and destroyed the claws of the Heartless. They gathered the orbs from the creature and grouped back together to get the body. At this point the Heartless knew it was losing the battle and began moving randomly throughout the district and shooting a beam of energy towards them when it had a clear shot. It moved so quickly it proved difficult for any of them to get consecutive hits. All of them tired and out of breath, Sora readied his Keyblade for a spell and motioned to Donald to do the same.

Both of them ready, in unison they called out, "Thunder!"

The tips of their weapons sparked a bright yellow and strikes of electricity honed in on the Heartless and rained down on top of it. With each hit, it crept closer and closer to the ground until it lay twitching on the ground with random electric currents running over it.

"Now!" Sora ordered as he took the last bit of energy he had and sprinted towards the Heartless, Keyblade in hand.

Hinata followed suit as Donald and Goofy did their own battle cries and ran after Sora. They each slashed and gave their final blow to the Heartless. Hinata went up to the glowing eyes and stabbed her swords right into its face. The creature began to shake violently as a bright light emanated from its body. Hinata covered her eyes as she backed away with the others. The Heartless lifted into the air still shaking as its head fell into its body and slowly disintegrated. As it disappeared a crystal looking heart floated into the sky. Just like the ones Hinata had seen back in Wonderland when the Heartless attacked the card guards.

Hinata watched as the heart floated into the sky and slowly disappear. Her heart was still pounding from the adrenaline of the fight. She couldn't believe how much authority Sora suddenly had. He was already a different person than the small boy from the island who never did anything himself. The reality check of being on his own was just what he needed to get himself together.

"Sora," Donald exclaimed, getting Hinata's attention, "The Keyblade!"

Sora looked at the Keyblade in his hands as it began to glow. A strong wind gusted around it and as soon as it began it ceased. Hinata walked up beside him and asked, "What was that about?"

Goofy put his hand to his chin, "I think that there Keyblade just got another spell."

Holding the Keyblade in the air, Sora grinned, "Yeah it did." Pausing he waited for the word of the spell to come into his heart. Then he yelled, "Wind!"

Suddenly a strong wind surrounded Sora and created some sort of whirlwind around him. Sora looked around himself slightly confused at what was happening.

"It's called Aero." Donald explained, having extensive knowledge on spells, "It works like a shield around whoever you cast it on."

"That's awesome!" Sora claimed excitedly as the wind slowly faded out.

The keyhole from the fountain shined brilliantly, just waiting for Sora to lock it. He swung the Keyblade over his shoulder and walked over to it as Hinata stood with Donald and Goofy watching.

"So this is normal for you guys?" Hinata asked, "Fighting huge Heartless and stuff?"

Goofy laughed, "Heyup! Sure is! That's the job of the Keyblade Master."

"We have only found four so far." Donald explained as a bright laser shot from Sora's Keyblade into the keyhole. "There are so many more to find. The King says that the worlds are in danger, so wherever Sora goes we go."

Hinata sheathed her swords and smiled. It seemed Sora really did find new friends; however, unlike Riku, Hinata was happy he did. Sora was making a difference and going after his destiny. She and Riku didn't have the right to get in the way of that. Looking over at Donald and Goofy she felt relieved that Sora had found them. She hoped that Donald was going to stay true to his word. Wherever Sora went they were going to follow.

The keyhole began to disintegrate as the light from the Keyblade hit it and within seconds it was if nothing out of the ordinary had even happened. Sighing, Sora slung the Keyblade over his shoulder. It was obvious he was exhausted. He turned towards his friends and smiled, when he noticed something at his feet. Bending down he wrapped his hand around a blue gummi and then held it up.

"A gummi for the ship?" He asked as he walked over to his friends, handing the piece to Donald.

"It's a gummi alright," Donald agreed, "But I have no idea what it's for!"

"Er, I bet Leon will know!" Goofy added as Hinata just stood to the side completely lost.

That's when it hit Hinata that she was supposed to be heading back to the ship with Riku. Gasping she reached for the black device on her vest when she realized she didn't have it anymore. It must have fallen off while she was fighting. Frantically she turned and scanned the area but it was nowhere in sight.

"Something wrong Hinata?" Sora asked, noticing Hinata's worried expression.

Hinata looked back at Sora, "Oh, um not really. Just lost the device that lets me contact Riku; but I'm pretty sure I can find him in the main district so no worries."

Sora smiled, "Thanks for the help!"

Hinata grinned back, "No problem! I can't believe you guys do that all the time!"

"Yeah, we're pretty awesome." Sora commented, resting his hands behind his head.

Rolling her eyes Hinata replied, "Uh-huh, sure you are. Look, I really need to get going. We won't be able to do the lunch like I wanted. Sorry about that."

Sora got a pang of disappointment in his eyes but sighed, "That's alright, at least I know you and Riku are okay. Just need to find Kairi now."

Hinata nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I'm glad you're doing well too. We are looking for Kairi as well, so hopefully that means we will all find her faster."

"I guess that's true." Sora replied, still feeling sad that they had yet to find a trace of Kairi. He missed her.

"Anyways," Hinata brought Sora out of his thoughts, "I really should get going." Looking at Donald and Goofy, "It was nice to meet you. Take care of Numbskull here alright?"

She got a small pout from Sora but laughs from the other two as she gave them a small wave and turned around to leave. Walking to the 1st District she swiftly made her way to the main courtyard and hoped that Riku wouldn't be too worried or upset with her for being late. Her muscles ached as she realized just how exhausting that last fight had been. She had been so pumped with adrenaline and those green orbs that she hadn't realized how much she overexerted herself. Within a couple minutes she walked down the stairs in front of the accessory shop and spotted Riku pacing in front of the café. The moment he saw her his eyes lit up and he ran towards her.

Wrapping her into an embrace he whispered into her ear, "I was so worried!"

Hinata winced as he squeezed her in his arms. Her muscles were not prepared for sudden contact. Even though she hurt she still managed to wrap her own hands around Riku's arms.

Riku pulled back and looked into Hinata's tired eyes, "Where were you? I tried to go looking for you but some town officials temporarily blocked off the other districts saying that they were dangerous."

"That's a long story." Hinata admitted, "Maybe it would be better if I told you on the ship."

Nodding, Riku pulled out the black device and beamed them to the ship. They had a lot to talk about.

***** Author's Note- Thank you all so much for reading! It seems like my chapters are getting longer and longer. I had a lot of fun writing Sora again and I promise we'll see him again! Please let me know what you think. I LOVE feedback! *****


	26. Discussions

Chapter 26

Hinata watched Traverse Town slowly disappear as their ship began departing back to Hollow Bastion. She wished that she could have gotten Riku to talk with Sora again while they were there. If only Maleficent hadn't stuck her nose in their business. She seemed to be using them as her own puppets; making them go on different missions all for the sake of finding their friends. Hinata was thankful they had found Sora, but couldn't help but wonder if what Maleficent made them do to get to him was truly worth it. The more she thought about Alice, the more she was convinced she and Riku had kidnapped her rather than bring her home. They had yet to see her upon bringing her to Hallow Bastion and Maleficent never mentioned her. Hinata weighed the moral in her mind; whether Sora was worth kidnapping another helpless girl for. Becoming overwhelmed with guilt, Hinata sat down in a chair in the ship's cockpit. She knew that if Sora ever found out what her and Riku had done to find him, he wouldn't approve in the slightest. Something told her he would in fact be rather angry with them and then smitten with grief over Alice. Leaning back in her chair, Hinata make a silent promise that she would never do something like that again and wished she could somehow find Alice to bring her back to her real home.

"Riku," Hinata looked up at Riku as he was standing behind her chair, "What do you think ever happened to Alice?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"Really?" Hinata asked surprised, it weighed on her mind almost constantly. "You aren't worried that we kidnapped her rather than bringing her home?"

Riku put his hands on Hinata's shoulders, "Even if we did, we found Sora didn't we? That was the whole purpose of helping Maleficent."

Hinata opened and closed her mouth, not sure how to respond. She looked back to the windshield of the ship as all that surrounded them was vast darkness with tiny sprinkles of stars lighting their way. Riku's indifferent attitude towards Alice's kidnapping left her lost for words. She couldn't believe he was willing to do such awful things all for the sake of reuniting with his friends. To be fair, she also was willing to do a great deal for them as well; however, never anything that pushed her morals aside. She had assisted in Alice's capture, but at the time she truly believed that they were taking her home.

"Did I say something wrong?" Riku asked warily when Hinata didn't respond for a couple of minutes.

Without looking at him, Hinata whispered, "I just don't understand you sometimes."

Riku sat down in a chair across from Hinata. "What do you mean?"

Trying to keep her emotions in check, she informed him, "Like, how could you not care about whether or not we kidnapped someone?"

"It's not any of our business." Riku claimed, still remaining calm, "We were given a mission and we completed it. End of story."

"Not end of story." Hinata countered, feeling frustration bubbling up inside her, "She was a young helpless girl that we delivered straight to Maleficent! For all we know she could be locked up somewhere! And it became our business the moment we got Alice on this ship."

Riku studied Hinata for a moment, "I didn't realize it bothered you so much."

"Well it does." Hinata bit back, "And I just don't understand why it doesn't bother you."

Putting his hands up in surrender, Riku calmed her, "Hinata, we're on the same side remember?" Pausing for a moment he chose his next words carefully, "I do hope she's alright; but all I want is to find Sora and Kairi. Maleficent told us that if we completed her missions we would get them back. So of course I'm going to do whatever she tells us."

Looking down at her hands she, calmed herself down and questioned, "But don't you think that we might be going a little too far with trying to find them?" Seeing the confused look from Riku she clarified, "I mean, I want to find Kairi just as much as you do; but kidnapping another person for it is going too far. It's just wrong."

"Do you have any better ideas of how to find them?" Riku asked, beginning to get frustrated that Hinata was putting his morals into question. "Sora ended up being a bust, but at least we found him. It doesn't matter what I have to do. I'm going to find Kairi."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get through to him about the subject, Hinata closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright, if you think it's all worth it you can do it; but if Maleficent wants us to kidnap someone else I'm not doing it."

Hinata felt the glare she was getting from Riku seeping into her. Hearing him groan he said, "Fine, if that's what you want."

They sat in a tense silence for a couple minutes before Hinata asked, "So you really thought finding Sora was a bust?"

"I'd rather not talk about Sora right now." Riku said plainly, crossing his arms.

Hinata opened her eyes and looked worried over at Riku, "Really? He's your best friend! I ran into him, Donald, and Goofy. We took down a Heatless together."

That peaked Riku's interest, "A Heartless? I took down some of those too."

Shaking her head, she replied, "This one wasn't like the small ones around town. It was a huge one that took all four of us to take down."

"That must have been why the other districts were blocked off." Riku mentioned.

Hinata nodded, "That would make sense. Oh man Riku, you should have seen Sora! He was the leader of the fight; telling everyone what to do and when to do it. It was actually really impressive. I wish you could have seen it."

Riku was silent for a moment before asking, "Did he fight with that Keyblade?"

Noticing the sour tone in Riku's voice when he mentioned the weapon, Hinata gave him a confused look. "Yeah, why?"

"It's nothing." Riku sneered and quickly got out of his chair and went to the other room. He didn't want to tell Hinata that he was becoming jealous of Sora. It seemed so childish.

Hinata sat in her chair and watched as Riku stomped out of the room. His reaction to Sora made no sense to her and the fact that he didn't even want her mentioning him was even more perplexing. Looking down at a rectangle navigation screen on the control board she made a note of the path they were taking back to Hollow Bastion. It was going to be the longest ride yet for them, almost 10 hours. Hinata rubbed the bridge of her nose; their trip had already started on a sour note. It seemed that they were arguing a lot lately. Not that it was surprising; they were running on a full tank of stress and nerves. Ever since being torn away from the islands, their lives had been thrown upside down. Hinata was eternally grateful that she had Riku by her side through it all. She couldn't imagine being like Sora and waking up in a new world completely alone. In a sense that was what she did on Destiny Islands when she arrived there, but Riku had been with her from day one. She never felt alone when he was around.

Smiling to herself thinking about her time together with Riku on Destiny Islands, Hinata stood from her chair and made her way after Riku. She had to make things right again. Even if they had different opinions and were keeping things from the other; they were all each other had. She pushed her frustrations aside as she found Riku lying on his back on one of the beds. He stared absently at the ceiling, obviously having a lot on his mind. Slowly, Hinata knelt down beside the bed and cautiously put her hand on his arm.

"Riku," She began, feeling her throat suddenly go dry, "I've been really stressed lately and sort of lashed out at you. I'm sorry."

Not looking over at Hinata, Riku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you really think I'm a bad person? For helping Maleficent I mean."

Hinata widened her eyes, "What? No, I don't think you're a bad person at all." She paused, trying to figure out the right words to say, "You're just willing to go farther than I am for your friends. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just something to be careful about."

Riku turned to face Hinata, "How far are you willing to go?"

"As far as I need to until that involves hurting innocent people." Hinata answered confidently without missing a beat. She may not have her memories from her childhood, but she did have the instilled moral that fighting should never cause unnecessary pain. "Killing the Horned King was necessary, although, probably not the way you ended up doing it."

"Wasn't my choice," Riku pointed out with a small smile, pointing one of his fingers at her.

Hinata gave a small laugh, "I know. You wouldn't do that." Rubbing her hand along Riku's arm she admitted, "Look, I was thinking. We shouldn't be focusing all of our time together on arguing with each other. Both of us are stressed and keep saying things we don't mean. You're all I have and I don't want to mess it up. I want to be thankful that I have anyone at all." Pausing to look up at Riku's eyes she finished, "I guess what I'm saying is, can we start this over? I mean before I started our fight when we got back on the ship. We have ten hours before we reach Hollow Bastion, and I would rather enjoy it with you rather than arguing."

Riku smiled and scooted over in the bed, to allow room for Hinata to lie next to him. Hinata happily obliged and snuggled up beside him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she laid her head on his chest. Using his other hand to play with Hinata's hair, he whispered, "Thanks."

Lifting her head to look at Riku's face, Hinata leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. Pulling back she said, "Of course." Feeling her face flush she admitted, "You mean a lot to me Riku. I'm sorry I've been so bad at showing that lately."

Sliding his hand that was resting on her shoulder up to behind her neck, Riku pulled Hinata in for another more passionate kiss. After a while he pulled away and pressed his lips against her forehead, "See right there, you are too cute sometimes."

Hinata couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at being called cute again. She gave out a small laugh, still heated from their last kiss, "I still don't know how I feel about that." She smiled as she laid her head against his shoulder, "But thanks."

They spent the remainder of the journey enjoying each other's company. Occasionally slipping into sleep and randomly getting up to grab some food. As a whole, it was the most relaxed either of them had been since they had first been back on the islands. All too soon the hangar doors of Hollow Bastion were opening, welcoming them and the ship back into its lair. Hinata felt her stomach ache with uneasiness as the ship landed. She looked over at Riku who still lay next to her and was somewhat surprised to see him still relaxed. He didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable as she was to be back and it caused her to wonder if something had happened between him and Maleficent when they were apart in Traverse Town. She knew that Maleficent was walking around Traverse Town, most likely to cause trouble between Sora and Riku. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Maleficent was up to something.

As the ship landed they reluctantly got out of the bed and fixed their appearances as Maleficent was bound to enter unannounced. They were right in their assumption and as soon as the ship's intercom was alerting them that they had reached their destination the ship's doors slid open allowing Maleficent to walk in. Hinata felt slightly relieved when she felt Riku tense up next to her. It seemed that he was still unnerved by Maleficent herself and for some reason that caused Hinata to almost smile. She was worried that he was completely on her side now.

"I trust the trip went smoothly." Maleficent greeted. "You were late to reporting back to the ship." She looked straight at Hinata, knowing she was the reason.

Hinata was about to bite back when Riku spoke up for her. "We're back now aren't we? It was a ten hour trip back here, so does it really matter we're a little late?" When Maleficent didn't respond he asked, "So what was that urgent mission you wanted us for?"

Happy they wanted to get straight to business; Maleficent smirked and motioned out of the ship. "Follow me if you please out of this hangar."

As they followed Maleficent out, Hinata asked, "Can't you just teleport us like you did when you told us about the cauldron?"

"You seemed like you could use the exercise." Maleficent calmly stated, ignoring the glare she got from both Riku and Hinata; then gave them the real reason, "Using darkness takes a large mass of energy every time one ventures to use its power. If one relies too heavily on darkness, their own heart teeters on the edge of being consumed. I only use it when it deems necessary and is not reckless."

Riku and Hinata exchanged looks as they continued to follow Maleficent in silence. After a few minutes of walking they came into the room where Maleficent had told them of the Horned King. In the center of the dark room was the stone that projected images. Hinata felt herself tense when she noticed two other figures standing around the stone as she entered. A tall blue skinned person, that Hinata guessed was a man; his face was long and bony with two large yellow eyes. Atop his head was blue flaming hair and long black robes clothed him. The other man was tall and lean. He wore a large black hat with a single red feather and had a long stringy goatee. His robes were black and had a long dark red cape flowing behind him. He glowered at Hinata and Riku while strumming his bony fingers on a golden serpent staff in his hands.

"Gee, way to keep a guy waiting." The blue man spoke up looking straight at Maleficent. "We do have a thing called a schedule you know."

"Indeed," The other man agreed, "Agrabah will not take itself over."

"Silence!" Maleficent ordered, hitting her staff on the ground, "Now that we are all here, we can begin preparations." Walking further into the room, motioning for Riku and Hinata to follow her she introduced them, "These are the ones I referred to; Riku and Hinata."

Hinata cringed when she heard Maleficent say her name; it sounded so distasteful coming from her. She took notice of the glares and looks she was getting from the other two. There was sinking feeling inside her that she was not welcome there. Looking over at Riku, she wondered if he felt as nervous as she did.

"I am Jafar." The tall man dramatically bowed, "Most trusted vizier in all of Agrabah."

"Yeah, yeah, and I'm Hades the Lord of the Dead." The blue flaming man quickly spoke, waving his hand in the air. Then looking straight at Riku he quipped, "Which by the way, thanks a ton for that whole cauldron business. Sort of need those dead to stay in the Underworld because you know, it's my job! And that's a little hard to do when they keep coming back to life!" His blue hair tinged a slight orange as if he was close to losing his temper.

Riku crossed his arms, "I fixed it in the end didn't I? Even killed the King for you."

"Don't play me for a fool, you little twerp." Hades accused, "We saw the whole thing. That wasn't really you. Without that Ansem guy it wouldn't have happened."

Closing his eyes in frustration, Riku was about to defend himself when Maleficent cut in, "That is not at all related to the mission at hand. At this moment we need to focus on capturing the rest of the princesses."

"Capturing princesses?" Hinata asked, "What princesses?"

Maleficent smirked and waved her hand in dismissal, "That does not concern you for the moment." Pointing her staff towards the stone a glowing image of the Heartless that Hinata fought alongside with Sora against appeared on top of it. "This however, does concern you. Your skills are quite impressive."

Riku looked surprised at the projection, watching Hinata, Sora, and his friends take down the Heartless. Hinata was right, Sora did seem like he had gained a new power of authority. He was beginning to smirk, almost proud of his friend, when he caught a glimpse of the Keyblade in Sora's hands. Sora held it so proudly like it was a part of him. Riku felt a tug of jealousy inside him and instantly shifted his gaze to the projection of Hinata. Maleficent was right, Hinata looked as if her swords were an extension of herself. She flowed so smoothly with them. Riku had sparred with her in the past, but it had been quite a while since he had seen her in action.

Hinata looked up suspiciously at Maleficent and cut to the chase, "What do you guys want me to do?" She knew that the only reason Maleficent would ever butter her up would be so she could bribe her into something.

"How do you feel about performing?" Hades asked, crossing his arms and smirking at Hinata.

Both Riku and Hinata shot their eyes towards Hades. "P-performing?" Hinata stammered.

"You see," Jafar began, stepping forward, "There is a banquet about to be held in Agrabah by the Sultan's orders." Rubbing his hand over his staff he smirked, "Or really, my orders. During this banquet there needs to be some form of distraction for the guests while other events are carried out."

"Other events?" Hinata asked, warily.

"Nothing that concerns you, I'm afraid." Maleficent cut in.

"That's the big mission?" Riku asked confused. "You want Hinata to perform as a distraction at a banquet? That doesn't make any sense."

"If you would rather, I could find a more life-threatening mission to send both of you on." Maleficent offered.

Riku scoffed, "Fine, performing it is."

Hinata rubbed her hands together, "Wait a second, what type of… entertainment am I supposed to do?"

"Surely you must know some routines with your weapons that would suffice." Maleficent hinted.

Hinata stood burning with embarrassment, she hated being on stage but if that was all she needed to do to assist in finding Kairi, it didn't seem so bad. Taking a deep breath she agreed, "Alright, I'll do it. I have a few routines that would probably work."

Maleficent and Jafar grinned, hearing Hinata agree. "Excellent choice my dear," Jafar told her, bowing slightly. "If you would come with me, I will assist you in getting ready for the event."

Riku pulled Hinata back protectively behind him, "I don't think so. I'm coming too."

Jafar slightly frowned but quickly recovered. "As you wish, follow me."

Hinata gave Riku's hand a small squeeze of thanks before following after Jafar. Riku walked behind them and was about to exit the room when Maleficent called his name. He stopped shortly and turned around to look at Maleficent when he heard the door to the room slam shut. Running back to the door, Riku rattled the doorknob only to find it locked. Hinata was on the other side and he knew that Jafar had purposefully separated them. Shooting back around, Riku ordered to Maleficent, "Open the door!"

"Cool it kid." Hades soothed, walking up to Riku and putting his arm around his shoulder.

Riku shoved the arm off of him and glared, "Why are you doing this?"

"There is more to the mission that we need to share with you." Maleficent informed him calmly.

"Why aren't you telling Hinata?" Riku questioned, crossing his arms and getting ready to summon Soul Eater if need be.

Pointing her staff towards the stone in the center of the room, the projection of the Heartless disappeared and was replaced with Riku and Hinata arguing in the cockpit of their ship. Riku slowly walked over to the image; unsure of what to think that Maleficent could see and hear everything they said when they thought they were alone. He listened as he heard the replay of the argument he and Hinata had on their way back from Traverse Town, looking away slightly embarrassed when it stopped as he and Hinata had begun kissing; ignoring Hades elbowing him saying something about getting lucky.

When it finished he glowered up at Maleficent, "Is there any time you aren't spying on us?"

"She's spying, she isn't spying. Does it really matter?" Hades goaded, "What does matter is that you are willing to go any length for your friends; while that little wonder girl of yours isn't."

Riku opened his mouth to defend Hinata and then he quickly closed it, realizing that Hades was right. They had just listened to her admit it. She wasn't willing to go as far as he was. Taking a new approach he surmised, "I take it this mission has things Hinata wouldn't be willing to do?"

Maleficent nodded, "Precisely."

Riku thought about Hinata's worry about Alice. She had said that she wouldn't take part in the mission if it involved kidnapping again. Not that he blamed her, but he couldn't believe she would leave Kairi off by herself just because she couldn't get her hands dirty. He wondered if Hinata had a point though, when she said that he needed to be careful just how far he was willing to go.

"We have the location of Kairi." Maleficent interrupted his thoughts, sensing his apprehension. Widening his eyes, Riku looked right up at Maleficent as she baited, "Do this and we will lead you to her."

Taking a moment to think it over, Riku took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Smiling, Maleficent claimed, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear." Looking at the stone in the center of the room, she changed the image once again, this time to a beautiful young girl with long black hair and a blue two piece outfit that exposed her midriff. "This is Princess Jasmine of Agrabah. Jafar is conspiring to take Agrabah for his own. When that is complete, Jasmine will need to be brought back here."

Looking away from the image of Jasmine, Riku was about to question how Hinata's swords came into play when Hades explained. "So here's how it works. Jafar is planning some shin dig for the entire palace where your little smoochy face girlfriend is going to keep everyone distracted while you do the real work."

Riku closed his eyes and sighed. So it was another kidnapping. He would have to make sure Hinata had no idea what was happening and that made his heart sink. Lately he had been keeping so much from her. They were supposed to trust each other and all he had been doing lately was building a wall of secrets between them. Shaking those thoughts away he assured himself that it was necessary to get Kairi back. Once she was back with them he would make things right. Looking back up at Maleficent he asked, "When do we leave?"

"Once Jafar has returned you will depart." Maleficent informed him, "However, you will no longer be going by gummi ship."

Riku looked confused, "How are we supposed to get there then?"

"Ever heard of the Corridors of Darkness?" Hades asked.

Maleficent explained, "The Corridors of Darkness are shortcuts if you will, that allows one to move swiftly between worlds within minutes rather than hours."

Crossing his arms Riku irately questioned, "And you had Hinata and me taking the long way until now because…"

"The power of darkness is needed to use them." Maleficent cut him off. "And until recently, you did not possess that power."

"Until recently?" Riku repeated her words.

"Did you not acquire a weapon on your last mission?" Maleficent addressed him.

Reluctantly, Riku held out his arm and summoned Soul Eater. He did have questions about it so he ordered, "What do you know about this?"

Looking at the sword Maleficent informed him, "Soul Eater is attracted to the darkness in people's hearts; but not just any dark heart will do. It has to be a strong resilient one that can withstand more darkness than others."

Riku smirked, beginning to feel a little smug, "Well what do you know?" The fact that darkness was in his heart probably should have scared him; but he couldn't help but feel proud that his heart was strong. Of course it was though, he was Riku.

"With our help, we can teach you to channel and use the darkness to bend it to your will." Maleficent continued, "If you are willing of course."

Already, Riku could feel Soul Eater's power coursing through him more powerfully as he allowed his heart to think over everything he could achieve with the power of darkness on his side. He thought back to what Mordred had told him on Prydain, he had the potential to be something great. Maybe this was it, being able to use the darkness. With it he could become more powerful than Sora, show him that he didn't need that Keyblade to be somebody. Thinking of the Keyblade caused him to tighten his grip on Soul Eater. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't get it out of his head. Looking back up at Maleficent he asked, "You saw Sora's weapon right?"

"What, that little brat's Keyblade?" Hades asked, his hair tinting orange, "Yeah we saw it. And what a pain in the neck that runt is!"

In the past Riku would have jumped to Sora's defense, but with the darkness and jealousy invading his heart all he could do was smirk. "Exactly, what do I have to do to get it for myself?"

Maleficent and Hades exchanged looks with each other, when Hades shrugged, "Sorry kid, not possible. That Keyblade chooses its wielder."

"What if I told you it's supposed to be mine?" Riku asked.

Hades' mouth dropped open in surprise while Maleficent smiled wickedly. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. With Riku having the Keyblade instead of Sora, she could have the chosen wielder on her side and unveiling the keyhole would prove almost simple; but with like all of her plans, everything would have to be handled with care. Strumming her fingers along the orb on her staff she noted, "Well, that is quite a surprise. There must be a way to rectify this situation. How did you gain the right to wield a Keyblade?"

"That's my business." Riku answered stiffly, wanting to keep the rest secret.

Maleficent raised an eyebrow at Riku's words, having a good idea how he gained the right. She had past dealings with other Keyblade wielders and Riku reminded her of one in particular, Terra. Smirking, she felt rectified in her desire to manipulate and use the darkness within Riku, just as she had with that young man Terra all those years ago. Getting back to Riku's darkness, she raised her arms into the air, her dark robed sleeves flowed to the floor and a green mist emanated from her body. "First, we must awaken the darkness within you."

Riku looked at her confused when he saw the mist transfer to him. At first he felt a sharp pain but soon he felt as if he was being pumped with adrenaline. His body instantly felt stronger and faster. He couldn't explain it, but he loved the feeling of it coursing through his veins. Feeling a grin spread on his face, he outstretched his arm and felt a small surge of electricity course through him as a dark sparking mass enveloped his hand.

"Dark Firaga." Maleficent clarified, "It has elements of both darkness and fire built into it."

"Congratulations kiddo." Hades clapped nonchalantly, "Truly, you are an inspiration. Now can we get back to Agrabah? His little flower will be returning soon. And who knows what their reunion will be like; being apart for a whole ten minutes, am I right?" He held out his hands in expectant laughter but frowned when there was none. "Sheesh, you two wouldn't know good humor if it slapped you in the face."

Riku gasped as he dissipated the spell and looked back at the door that Hinata had gone through. He had completely forgotten she was alone with that creepy vizier. "Where did you take Hinata?"

"She's safe I assure you." Maleficent promised, "Wouldn't want to harm the distraction."

He turned and shot a glare at Maleficent, "She's more than just a distraction."

"Is she though?" Hades asked, "I mean, come on, she's holding you back by all of her morals. Everybody has a weakness, and sorry to break it to you, but she's yours. Sooner or later she's gonna keep you from being you."

Riku just glared, but in the back of his mind he wondered if Hades was right. He was the second person to say that Hinata was going to hold him back. Worry filled his gut as he thought about it. Shaking his head he pushed it aside and defended Hinata, "Don't talk about her like you know everything about her. I don't care if you watched us on that stone or what you saw, she isn't like that."

Hades shrugged, "Whatever you say. Don't say we didn't warn you."

"When in Agrabah," Maleficent broke in, wanting to get back to the mission at hand. "You are to stay by Jafar's side and follow his orders throughout the mission. Is that understood?"

Riku hated the idea of being micromanaged the entire mission, but nodded his head anyways, "Whatever you say."

The sound of a door being opened, caused Riku to instantly turn towards the sound, hoping it was Hinata. His mouth gaped open as he saw her enter the room. She wore a similar outfit to that of the Princess he had seen in the image projection. Hinata noticed Riku's stare and felt herself blush. When Jafar had handed her the outfit and told her to put it on she knew she would be wildly self-conscious in it. Her top was a dark royal purple and was tight around her breasts with a golden necklace embellishing her neck and resting right above her chest. She fought the urge to cover herself with her arms as she was showing more cleavage than she had ever shown to anyone, let alone to Riku. Her entire midriff was showing and low on her hips was the same purple color bedlah pants. She had to admit they were rather comfortable, with how they flowed out away from her legs before tightening right above her ankles. Golden bracelets adorned her forearms that jingled with every step she took and her hair was in its usual ponytail only with golden bands holding it up. She was glad there was a sheer purple veil covering the bottom half of her face as she was sure she was dark red from embarrassment by now.

"Wow." Riku said under his breath. He had completely forgotten that anyone else was in the room. Not even noticing when Jafar entered after Hinata. Riku walked up to her and grabbed her hands, "You look amazing!"

"See I told you, we might want to step out to give the two love birds some schmooze time." Hades commented, bringing Riku out of his trance immediately.

"Shut up!" Riku groaned, not turning away from Hinata and feeling his face flush. He was just glad that Hinata was back safely. For a moment he wished they would be able to go on the ship rather than those corridors Maleficent had mentioned; but quickly pushed the thought away. No need to give Hades more reason to tease them.

"Are you ready to depart?" Jafar asked, wanting to get on the road as soon as possible.

"Does Riku not need to change?" Hinata asked, not looking away from Riku. Having him in front of her was helping her gain back her confidence.

"He will be dressed as a royal guard, but he can change after we arrive." Jafar explained.

Giving Hinata's hand a tight squeeze, Riku suddenly felt sick to his stomach; remembering that he was going to be doing things behind Hinata's back on their next mission. He wished he could tell her everything he was about to do, but for Kairi's sake he needed to keep it to himself. Keeping one of Hinata's hands in his he turned to face the others and said, "We're ready."

***** Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought. Next chapter they are off to Agrabah! *****


	27. Entering Agrbah

Chapter 27

Riku looked around at his surroundings as he walked through the Corridor of Darkness. It almost seemed like they were walking in space. Different shades of gray colors swirled around them like smoke and there was no sound; not even from their footsteps. In the distance was a bright light, which Riku assumed was the door that led to Agrabah. Maleficent had opened the Corridor of Darkness for him, Hinata, and Jafar to go to Agrabah. He honestly had wanted to be the one to do it but wondered how Hinata would react to him using the power of darkness. They had such differentiating opinions lately. He sighed and looked at Hinata as she walked beside him. She seemed so uncomfortable. Reaching over to grab her hand, Riku wished they were alone so he could find out what was wrong.

Feeling Riku interlace his fingers with hers, Hinata looked over at him and smiled. Everything about going to Agrabah was stressing her out and not even just because she was going to be performing. She wasn't stupid; she knew that Maleficent and Jafar were just trying to get her out of the way for the real mission. Something in her gut told her something very bad was going to happen on Agrabah, but she hadn't a clue of what it could be. She wondered if they had told Riku about it when they were separated back at the castle. Looking ahead of her she saw Jafar leading the way through the odd hallway. She had no idea where they were, but seeing Riku so calm about the whole thing she just went along with it. Wherever they were, Hinata didn't like it. It made her heart feel… gross. As if the surrounding smoke was trying to seep into her. She hoped they wouldn't have to travel through these types of things very often.

Within a few minutes they reached the light and as they passed through it Riku and Hinata covered their eyes from the brightness. A heat around them caused them to open their eyes and they saw that they had arrived in another world. They were in a brick room with brown stone flooring. Dim candles upon bronze metal holders lined the walls and a large hourglass with four golden serpents on the corners stood in the center of the room. The room was large but had a strange musty smell about it and didn't at all seem like the sort of place a banquet would be held. Hinata wondered why Jafar would take them here at all and where they were.

Jafar approached a wooden door on the far side of the room. Opening it he told Riku and Hinata, "There are some last minute preparations for the banquet to be done. Stay here until I return." Without giving them a chance to reply, he went through the door and locked it behind him.

Riku went up to the door and checked to see if it was locked. He could hear Jafar walking up what sounded like stairs. Sighing, he turned around from the door and grudgingly accepted that he was going to have to wait once again for anything exciting to happen. Hinata caught his eye as she had her back to him and seemed to be deep in thought as she took off the veil that had been covering the bottom half of her face. He allowed himself to finally get a good look at her. She was incredibly beautiful in that outfit. She was always attractive to him, but especially so in that. Smirking, he began walking towards her when he remembered how Maleficent had been spying on them. He stopped in his tracks and felt frustrated that they were constantly being watched. They should be allowed at least some privacy. Giving Hinata another look he shook his head and decided he didn't care if Hades or Maleficent saw; if he wanted to kiss his girlfriend they weren't going to stop him.

Walking up behind Hinata, Riku pushed her hair away and began lightly kissing her neck. Running his hands up and down her arms he felt goosebumps appear on her skin as she took in a sharp breath from his touch. Reaching her ear with his lips he asked, "Are you alright? You seem tense."

Hinata tried to reply, but all that came out was a shuddered sigh. She honestly wasn't alright and wanted to know what happened when she and Riku were separated; however, with the sudden affection from Riku all of that could wait until later.

Riku's hands left Hinata's arms and slid to the sides of her bare waist. He slowly turned her around to face him and once she was he spotted a kiss on her nose, noting, "You never answered my question."

Giving a small nervous laugh and knitting her hands behind Riku's neck, Hinata admitted, "Yeah, well it was a little hard to concentrate." She pulled him in for a kiss and felt all of her stress melt away the moment their lips met.

Smiling into her lips, Riku added between kisses, "You're telling me. Have you looked into a mirror lately?"

Hinata giggled in response as Riku wrapped his arms around her back and tightly pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. It took all of his self-control not to let his hands wander. Hinata sighed into his mouth as she laced her hands into his silver hair. In the back of his mind, Riku could hear Hades making some snarky remark about how affectionate he was being. He was certain that Maleficent and Hades would be watching them back on that stone in Hollow Bastion and as much as he tried to convince himself that he didn't care they watched he couldn't get them out of his head. In a fit of frustration, he broke the kiss, lips tingling in protest from the sudden loss of contact, and lightly pushed Hinata away.

Confused and trying to regain her breath from their kiss, Hinata put one of her hands on Riku's cheek, "What's wrong?"

Putting his hand over Hinata's, he took her hand away and closed his eyes frustrated, "Maleficent's been spying on us."

"How do you know?" Hinata asked, feeling as if her heart stopped. She knew she had said things Maleficent wouldn't appreciate when she had thought she and Riku were alone.

Riku crossed his arms and informed her, "When we were separated back at Hollow Bastion, I saw a recording of our ride back from Traverse Town." He opened his eyes and saw the slightly panicked look from Hinata. Knowing what she was thinking he nodded, "They heard everything."

Taking a couple steps back, worry and irritation consumed Hinata. It's not like she should have been surprised. They were using Maleficent's ship and resources after all; but to have her constantly keeping her eye on them was unnerving. All at once she realized that they really were having her perform just so they could keep her out of the real mission. There must be something going on that she wouldn't be willing to do. Looking up at Riku she asked, "Do you know what they are planning?"

"No." Riku lied, shaking his head. He already made the truce with himself that he was going to keep Hinata in the dark about the mission. "They wouldn't tell me. I have a feeling something's up though."

Hinata nodded, "Me too." After a moment of silence she asked, "What did they talk to you about when we were apart?"

Reaching out his hand, Riku summoned Soul Eater and noticed Hinata instantly tense up. "They told me more about this."

Cautiously, Hinata walked towards the sword and examined it. "What is it?"

Deciding to keep out the details about the darkness, Riku told her, "I found it when we were on Prydain in the catacombs of the castle. It was in one of the sarcophagi and I touched it. Then when I was being attacked by some guards I lost track of my sword and this suddenly appeared in my hand. Apparently it's called Soul Eater and I can summon it whenever I want."

A large amount of Hinata's uneasiness slipped away and she immediately became interested. It didn't sound like it was an evil sword at all. Sure the name was weird, but it was just a unique sword. There was no way it was related to the vision Hen Wen had shown her. Admiring the blade she mentioned, "I've never seen anything like it."

Riku smirked, "Yeah me neither. It's really powerful." Making it disappear he asked, "So what happened to you when we got separated?"

Hinata placed her hands on her hips, "Not much. Jafar led me to a room that had this outfit in it and told me to change. Once I did he had me show him a few of my routines so he could choose which one I was going to perform. Then we came back to the room. It was pretty obvious it was all a ruse to separate us."

"Yeah," Riku nodded and agreed. He looked over Hinata and felt himself blush. Everything about what she was wearing was driving him crazy. He wished that he hadn't found out that they were being spied on and that he could have continued touching her. Then he realized that Hinata was going to be performing in that outfit in front of a banquet full of people. That familiar protective urge boiled up inside him and he instantly wanted her to be more covered up. With how beautiful she was there was no doubt in his mind that there were going to be men ogling her.

Noticing his sudden vexed nature, Hinata placed a hand on Riku's arm, "Is everything alright?"

Before Riku could answer, the wooden door rattled as it was being unlocked and Jafar entered carrying a pile of clothes. Handing the clothes to Riku, Jafar told them, "Everything is prepared. Put these on. According to the Sultan you both are from another land, here as the suitor's royal performance."

"Suitor?" Hinata repeated curious.

A red parrot jumped forward and caught Riku and Hinata off guard. Flapping its wings it squawked, "Geez Jafar did you not fill them in on anything?"

Jafar glared, unaffected by the loud noise from the bird, "Yes Iago, I was just getting to it; but why waste my breath? Tell them yourself."

Iago rolled his eyes and flew to the hourglass in the middle of the room. Landing on top of it he explained, "Look, there's this Princess Jasmine who's been trying to find some bozo to marry; so all sorts of suitors have been coming to Agrabah to win her over. But Miss Picky keeps turning them all away! It's so annoying! Like just pick a fella already! Not that it's really gonna matter once Jafar-"

"Time is of the essence." Jafar interrupted, giving a warning look at Iago for saying too much. Then looking at Hinata he gave her instructions, "You my dear will be stationed next to Riku along the wall until I summon you forth for your performance. Once the music begins you may start. "

Hinata looked between Iago and Jafar, knowing they were hiding something. Taking a deep breath she felt her nerves begin to rile up at the thought of performing. Attempting to push them back down she simply nodded.

Jafar gave her an unnerving smile, "Perfect." Turning towards the door he began to leave the room so Riku could change.

Iago was close behind and as he passed Hinata he squawked, "Let's get this over with."

Giving a short look over at Riku, she wished they could have had more time alone before starting the mission. Riku gave her a worried look and she could tell something was on his mind. Forcing a smile, she put on her veil and followed after Iago and Jafar to wait for Riku to change. After a couple minutes, Riku exited the room wearing the guard outfit. He wore tan pants that flared out similar to Hinata's and a red cloth belt around his waist. His shirt was a low cut black sleeveless shirt that was tucked under his belt and pants. Hinata smiled when she saw him and silently admired how the shirt showed off his chest.

Nodding towards Riku when he saw he was ready, Jafar said, "Let us be on our way."

Jafar led all of them up a spiral brick staircase for several minutes before they reached a red wall. He pulled on a gold rope that hung from the ceiling and the wall began to slide away as if it were a door. Jafar with Iago perched on his shoulder went through first, peering left and right to make sure no one was around. Riku and Hinata followed after him and admired the room they round themselves in. The walls were a dark red with white and gold columns spaced throughout the room. Golden lamps stood on either side of each column and the floor was a reflective black marble. A perfumed scent filled their senses as a large platform in the center of the room had burning incense on top of it. Hinata squinted her eyes so she could adjust to the bright light coming in from outside the arched doorway across the room. She felt much more relaxed here than she had in the brick hold Jafar had her and Riku stay in.

Hinata held back the urge to fan herself with her hand as she felt the hot dry air float around her. She felt beads of sweat beginning to form on her skin and wished she was back on the islands so she could jump into the cool ocean water. Taking a few steps forward, she looked out the arched doorway that led outside. The blue sky hadn't a single cloud invading as the sun stood unopposed, free to blaze its rays at the people below. In the distance was an endless horizon of tan sand; but right outside was a beautiful garden. Green trees and white stone paths surrounded a large fountain. It was obvious they were in some sort of castle with how exquisite their surroundings were.

"You have finally arrived!" A thick accented voice yelled through the room. Hinata swept around and saw a tall man wearing purple and gold clothes stalking towards them. His large purple turban sat proudly upon his head as he had an air of cockiness about him. Once he reached them, he stood proudly, fingering the tip of his curly black mustache.

Jafar forced a smile and turned towards Riku and Hinata, "May I present to you, Prince Achmed."

Hinata walked up beside Riku and slightly inclined her head towards the Prince. Her stomach twisted as she felt his eyes studying her.

Once the Prince had fully examined Hinata he tipped his nose in the air, "She will have to do." Then reaching out he grabbed part of her hair, his skin lightly brushing past her neck causing Hinata to shiver uncomfortably. Running the red strands through his fingers he commented, "Although, I must say I have never seen this color of hair before. That will catch the Princess' attention."

It took everything inside Riku not to slap the man's hand away; but he refrained knowing he had to keep to the mission. He resigned to glaring and silently threatening the Prince if he went any further. Prince Achmed looked up from Hinata's hair and caught the look Riku was sending him, smirking in response.

"Her performance will captivate the audience I assure you." Jafar bowed and then placed his long arm around Prince Achmed's shoulder, beginning to lead him out of the room, "Now let us make our entry to the banquet being held in your honor."

"Squawk! In your honor!" Iago loudly repeated, getting weird looks from Riku and Hinata. It seemed that Iago was hiding the fact that he was more than just a regular parrot.

Giving Hinata another quick once over, the Prince turned around and allowed Jafar to lead him to the banquet hall. Once he was out of earshot, Hinata shuddered and mumbled to Riku, "That guy gives me the creeps."

Riku continued glaring at the back of the Prince as he walked away. Placing his hand on Hinata's shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze, he agreed, "I know, me too. We better follow them."

They followed Jafar and Prince Achmed to a large banquet hall that put the one they had seen in Prydain to a pitiful shame. Dark purple and blue sheer fabric draped along the marble walls. Golden lamps dangled from the high ceiling reflecting from the polished floor. In the center of the room lay a long narrow table top surrounded by thick blankets for the guests to sit. Along one of the walls facing the table stood two golden thrones that were already filled. In the throne that was shaped like the face of a large elephant sat a short stout man with a long white beard. His robes were made of an expensive tan fabric and a large blue feather sprouted from his hat. He seemed rather joyful and had a large smile on his face. Next to him in a beautifully designed chair sat an uninterested young woman with long black hair. She wore a two piece light blue outfit and wore a unique crown on her head.

As Jafar entered the room, the large double doors from the opposite end of the room muffled the voices of all the guests on the other side waiting to enter by the Sultan's orders. Removing his arm from Prince Achmed, Jafar cleared his throat and gracefully strode over to the two people sitting on the thrones. As he approached them he gave a large bow, "Your Majesties, may I present Prince Achmed."

The Sultan, the short white bearded man, clapped his small hands and greeted, "Thank you for coming all this way. My daughter is delighted for today's celebration of your arrival." Reaching into his sleeve he pulled out a cracker and proceeded to attempt feeding it to Iago.

The Princess next to her father scoffed, not remotely trying to hide the indifference in her attitude. She shot the Prince a glare as she looked him over. The only thing she thought about him was that he seemed full of himself, and that was not what she was looking for in a future husband. She didn't know why her father had insisted on throwing a banquet for this suitor; especially since he never did for any of the others. Looking beyond the pompous man she spotted Hinata and Riku. Their hair caught her off guard as almost everyone in Agrabah had dark black hair; yet here they were with silver and red hair. She took note of how tense Hinata seemed. That wasn't the normal behavior of the other women that performed in the palace. Something was off about those two.

"Jasmine, won't you greet Prince Achmed?" The Sultan interrupted.

Jasmine startled out of her thoughts and looked surprised at her father beside her. He seemed to be oblivious to just how egotistical the Prince was and was already convinced that she would pick Achmed to be her husband. Forcing a smile, she decided that talking to the man wouldn't cause any harm. The quicker they started the banquet the quicker she could throw him out. Inclining her head towards Achmed she grimaced, "Welcome to Agrabah, Prince Achmed." Her eyes widened as Prince Achmed grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips, planting a wet kiss on her knuckles. She fought back a gag as she got back a soggy hand.

Smirking, the Prince bowed, "The pleasure is all mine, my beautiful Princess."

Wiping her hand on her pants, Jasmine wished her pet tiger Rajah could be at her side so she could order him to get the Prince out of the palace. Sighing, Jasmine gave her father a strained look, not understanding why she had to endure such a pretentious spoiled Prince for the remainder of the day.

"Shall we begin the celebrations?" Jafar stepped in, trying to get a move on.

The Sultan quickly nodded, "Oh yes Jafar, I do believe you are right." Looking towards a servant in the far corner he motioned his hand towards the large doors that held back the multitude of guests, "Open the gates!"

"Open the gates! Open the gates!" Iago squawked as Jafar turned away from the Sultan and Princess.

Jafar smirked as he walked back to Hinata and Riku. Reaching into his cape he pulled out Hinata's dao swords and handed them to her, whispering, "Here are your weapons for the performance."

Feeling a sigh of relief rushing over her, Hinata reached and grabbed her weapons. She had felt so lost without them, especially when that Prince was eyeing her. Looking up at Jafar she wondered where he had been hiding them; but shrugged and decided to just be thankful they were there with her. Jafar ushered them against the wall behind Prince Achmed's seat and had them stand at attention before making his way to stand beside the Sultan. Riku scooted closer to Hinata until their arms were touching and watched with her as a couple servant girls opened the gates. Within seconds chattering men all wearing expensive robes and large bellies rushed into the hall. Next to the throne appeared a small group of men each holding different instruments and they began playing a mesmerizing tune that served as a calm backdrop to the unorganized chaos of the entering guests. Hinata gripped the hilts of her swords tightly and gulped. Every time someone would take a seat she felt her nerves jump up another level. When she was in battle she didn't care who was watching, but now everyone's eyes would be on her and her alone. There wasn't any opponent for her to take down.

Riku glared at every man that sat down or even glanced their way. He still didn't like the idea of Hinata performing in front of them; especially with how that Prince had acted around her. With how close he was to Hinata, he could feel her arms tensing up with nerves. He knew that he should comfort her in some way. Leaning over he whispered, "It's going to be alright. You're going to do fine." He slightly smiled when he felt her muscles slightly relax. It may not have been much, but at least she knew she had his support.

They stood at their post watching the banquet commence. Different servants strode through the guests, carrying platters of various foods and delicacies as delicious scents wafted through the air. Hinata and Riku couldn't help but let their mouths water as every plate was piled high with food that looked sublime. Occasionally, they would exchange whispers; commenting on the food they saw or making jokes about the people they watched. Little by little, Hinata felt her anxiety slip away as she found that she was actually enjoying herself.

"It's time for you to perform." Jafar whispered to Hinata, causing her to slightly jump as she hadn't even noticed him walk up.

Riku looked over at Hinata worried as the color drained her face. He wanted to embrace her and tell Jafar to find some other entertainment, but there was nothing he could do. Instead he gave her an encouraging smile when she glanced over at him as Jafar ushered her away. She was brought to a large area that was between the thrones and the large dining table. Riku watched as Jafar leaned down in whispered something to Hinata as he walked her over; wishing he knew what was being said. As soon as Hinata was in place, the music stopped and the Sultan stood from his throne. The loud chattering and roar of conversation died down as the Sultan rose to his feet, everyone waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I thank you all for coming." The Sultan began, "I am sure all of you are aware that we are here to honor Prince Achmed, the suitor of my daughter, Princess Jasmine."

Hearing her name, Jasmine forced a smile and looked out amongst the crowd. So far the banquet was going smoothly and the best part was that she hadn't had to talk to the Prince during it. As her father continued to speak, saying things about Agrabah and the Prince, Jasmine looked at the red headed girl ready to perform. She had her swords at her sides with her head down, just waiting for the Sultan to signal her to begin. Crossing her arms, Jasmine couldn't help but feel that there was something off about the girl and that silver haired boy that was with her. She hadn't even seen Prince Achmed acknowledge their presence while Jafar had. Jafar had gone and brought the girl to her spot and was now speaking with the boy that was still along the wall. She wondered if Jafar was up to something, like he usually was; but this time she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He had a weird way of controlling her father and convincing him to do things that were out of his character. Looking around the crowd of men she took notice of everyone that was invited to the banquet; all of the royal guard and everyone that was in some sort of leadership in Agrabah was there. Her father had held celebrations in the past, but none that invited all of these people. Jasmine widened her eyes; it was the perfect situation for some sort of attack and those two oddly hair colored people were somehow involved. She looked over at her father as he still continued his speech. Somehow she had to talk to him about it, let him know her worries; but he stood oblivious to any sort of trouble.

"And now, without further interrupting, on my part, let Prince Achmed's entertainment begin!" the Sultan exclaimed, getting a loud agreement from the men.

As the Sultan sat and the group of men prepared to start up their music for the performance, Jasmine slipped out of her chair and knelt by her father. "Father," She whispered, "I need to speak with you."

The Sultan uncharacteristically waved her away, "Not now my dear. Enjoy the performance and we can talk afterwards."

"Please, it's urgent." Jasmine began to plead, but when her father gave her a warning look she quickly backed down. Even if he was her father, he was still her ruler. Sighing, she went and sat back in her throne; she could talk more with him after the girl was done.

Hinata held her breath as she waited for the music to begin. She glanced over at Riku and spotted Jafar speaking with him. The familiar uneasy feeling filled her gut as she sensed that something was amiss. She didn't have the time to figure it out as the hypnotic notes of the music filled the hall. Closing her eyes she went into her routine, picturing herself inside an empty sparring room back home; momentarily wondering where home was, but swiftly pushed the question away so she wouldn't be distracted. In her mind the room was large and white, with weapon racks lining the wall just like the ones back on Destiny Islands. Beautiful flowers lined the windows that allowed natural lighting to enter the room. Her nerves swiftly fell into calmness as her heart felt the taint of familiarity in her imagination's room. She felt eyes watching her and at first assumed it was the guests of the banquet; but then in the corner of the room in her mind a tall figure stood; his image fuzzy and unclear to her. Suddenly her heart was overwhelmed with both sadness and anger; almost like betrayal. She took a sharp breath as she shattered the image in her mind and stayed focused on the task at hand. The routine was near finished and with the final note of music she knelt down and clasped her swords together to form a single blade. Her pounding heart beat drummed in her ears as her breaths were heavy. With the music ceased, the entire room was silent. Taking a deep breath, Hinata opened her eyes and looked over to where Riku was stationed to see his reaction; widening her eyes when he was nowhere to be found. Standing up, she looked around confused and felt herself beginning to worry. She was about to call out for him when the large brown gates flew open allowing numerous Heartless to storm into the banquet hall being led by Jafar. Hinata gasped and readied her swords, Jafar was invading Agrabah.

***** Author's Note: Just a little cliff hanger for you! Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think. *****


	28. Falling Apart

Chapter 28

Chaos erupted from every corner of the hall as the Heartless began pouring in. Many of them wielding swords or breathing fire; the men in the hall never stood a chance against all of them. Yells and panic surrounded Hinata as she swiftly took down the enemies around her while frantically looking for any sign of Riku. The sheer fabric along the walls quickly caught aflame from stray shots from the fire breathing Heartless and heavy smoke began to thicken the air. Hinata stopped momentarily to find a quick exit point when she felt a hand yank on her arm. With a surprised yelp she turned around and saw Jasmine pulling on her.

"Follow me; I'll get you out of here!" Jasmine ordered her.

"I need to find Riku!" Hinata yelled back, realizing that the Princess would have no idea who she was talking about.

"He's with my father! Now, please, follow me!" She replied, tugging her away when a Heartless jumped in their path.

Hinata jumped in front of Jasmine and sliced away the enemy before any harm came to them. She stood up straight and nodded to Jasmine, "Alright, lead the way."

Without hesitation, the Princess ran through the hall slipping through the turmoil and surrounding violence without being noticed. Hinata followed close behind, trying to keep up with the surprisingly stealthy girl. Jasmine led her through the palace going in different rooms and halls, trying to get out of the fray. As she followed, Hinata couldn't help but wonder why the Princess was helping her and why Riku was with the Sultan. She wondered why they weren't all together rather than separated. Slowing her pace, she saw that Jasmine had come to a stop. Ceasing their escape momentarily, Hinata regained her breath and looked around the room they found themselves in.

The walls were tall and golden in color. Royal blue curtains draped from the ceiling as well as gold lamps with lighted candles inside. A white lace covered a large arched doorway that led to a balcony outdoors. In the center of the room stood a dark purple canopy; under it was a bedroom set up, no doubt the area was Princess Jasmine's room. Hinata wondered if taking refuge in her bedroom was really a good idea when the palace was under siege; but figured that it wouldn't hurt to at least take a short rest. Letting herself slightly relax, Hinata placed her swords on a small table and walked up to the lace curtain that led to the balcony, pushing it out of the way. She put her hands on the white marble railing on the edge of the balcony and looked out over Agrabah. Her heart wrenched as she saw the hints of Heartless all over the surrounding city. Jafar wasn't just going after the palace; he wanted all of Agrabah for himself. Letting out a deep aggravated sigh, Hinata leaned her elbows on the railing and planted her face in the palms of her hands. She had been played. There had been a feeling in her that something was going to happen, but to be a part of a group that would take an entire world over… well it was sickening. Whether indirectly or not, she had aided in the attack, she needed to set things right. Standing up straight, she took one last look at the Heartless on the ground; letting the anger and regret wash through her, having it fuel her drive to take each and every one of them out. Clenching her fists, she swiftly turned around only to find Jasmine pointing one of her dao swords right at her. Inwardly groaning, Hinata mentally berated herself for putting her blades down. She should have known better.

"Who are you and what do you know about this?" Jasmine ordered, feeling her voice shake.

Hinata put her hands up in surrender, taking note of how the Princess was trembling. "Your Majesty…"

"Don't 'Your Majesty' me!" Jasmine barked, glaring at Hinata and slightly gaining her confidence as her pet tiger, Rajah came up beside her; growling at Hinata, "I know you and that boy have something to do with the attack. What do you know?" When Hinata hesitated she finished, "And don't you dare lie to me!"

Fear trickled through Hinata's body as she saw Rajah come up beside Jasmine. She probably could have handled the Princess without her swords if need be, but not that creature. Feeling her throat go dry, she realized that she better give Jasmine the information she wanted. It's not like she would have gotten away with lying to her in the first place; but Hinata thought of what she should tell Jasmine. Words could not describe how done she was with Maleficent's manipulation. Maleficent had to know what Jafar was planning and helped him do it. They were basically black mailing her and Riku to do their bidding and in Hinata's opinion, enough was enough. Smirking, Hinata knew that Maleficent was most likely watching her on that stone back in Hallow Bastion and wondered how she would like it if she gave Jasmine all of the information she had.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata told Jasmine everything she knew, "My name is Hinata. Jafar is working with a woman named Maleficent. They are working together to take Agrabah. Those creatures attacking are called Heartless and I don't know much about this, but they mentioned something about capturing Princesses. If I had to take a guess, you are on that list. Otherwise, I don't know why they would be going through so much trouble."

Jasmine's eyes widened from all the information. Clearing her throat, she calmed herself and asked, "And that boy? You two seemed close during the banquet."

"Riku." Hinata answered plainly and wondered what business it was of the Princess about her relationship with him but told her anyways, "He's my boyfriend." Pausing for a moment she requested, "Can I have my sword back now?"

"How do I know you won't turn me over to Jafar?" Jasmine accused suspiciously.

Hinata crossed her arms, "Trust me; the only thing I want to do to Jafar is make him pay for hurting so many innocent people." Seeing that her words weren't swaying Jasmine, she clarified, "I and Riku's home was destroyed and we ended up on Maleficent's doorstep with nowhere else to go. We've been going on missions for her in return for shelter and our friends. So far, they haven't been anything too bad, but this one is going too far. I'm not taking part in this." Reaching out her hand for her sword Hinata promised, "You have my word that I will protect you with my life. I'm not leaving here until I know you're safe from Jafar."

Reluctantly, Jasmine looked down at Rajah and then slowly handed the sword over to Hinata, who sighed in relief. Grasping her blade in her hand, Hinata went back into the bedroom to grab her other sword.

As she grabbed it she called back to Jasmine, "We need to get you out of here. Do you know where your father and Riku are?"

Jasmine had her arms wrapped around her waist; it was obvious she was having a hard time coping with everything happening. Just that morning she had been enjoying a peaceful walk through her garden and now here she was running for her life with a complete stranger. Looking up at Hinata, Jasmine shook her head, "No, once those… Heartless broke in, that boy, Riku, ran up to my father. He told my father he would bring him to safety and asked if I would get you."

Hinata smiled to herself, Riku was always looking out for her; but she wondered why he was so readily at the Sultan's side. It likely had to do with whatever Jafar had whispered to him right before she began her routine. A slight tinge of worry threatened to worm its way into her, but Hinata swiftly pushed it aside. Now was not the time to wonder what might and could happen. She had a mission to do, to keep the Princess safe. Takin a deep breath she came up with a plan, "I think it would be best if we left the palace. If Jafar and Maleficent do indeed want to take you, I think your best chance of hiding will be out in the surrounding city." When Jasmine didn't respond, Hinata turned around to face her. "Would that be alright?"

Jasmine looked up at Hinata and felt her face lose some color, "It's just that, I've never left the palace walls before."

"Well there is always the first time." Hinata encouraged her, walking up to the door that they had entered from. Peeking her head through, she made sure there was no sign of Jafar or the Heartless. Seeing that the way was momentarily clear, she motioned towards Jasmine, "There aren't any Heartless here at the moment so it would probably be best to leave now." Looking back at Jasmine she gave a quick glance at her clothes and crown, "Do you have anything you could wear as a disguise?"

Jasmine nodded and ran to her wardrobe that was placed under the tall purple canopy. Within a couple minutes she emerged wearing a tan cloak that covered her arms and hair. At a quick glance she wasn't recognizable as the Princess and that could prove rather useful once she was in the main city. Nodding towards Hinata's hair, Jasmine asked, "Should you not also disguise yourself? What of your hair?"

"It won't matter what I wear, Maleficent always knows where I am." Hinata admitted, then reluctantly informed Jasmine, "Which means that once I get you to the city, I won't be able to protect you anymore. I can only get you there safely, and then you'll be on your own."

Tightening her hands over the edge of her makeshift cloak, Jasmine took a deep breath. She had always dreamed of seeing the world outside the wall. This may not have been her ideal opportunity but she was going to take it nonetheless. Looking at Hinata she stated, "Alright, I can't stay trapped here forever. I need to do what I can to keep myself and my world from Jafar."

Hinata smiled at the Princess' determination and nodded in acknowledgment. Then looked out the door again to search for what seemed like the quickest and safest path to the palace garden. She heard Jasmine saying her farewells to Rajah, telling him to be safe and stay hidden. Once the Princess was by her side they exited the room and entered the hall. Hinata decided to go the opposite way of the path they took to the bedroom, as to avoid as many enemies as they could. Jasmine followed close behind, randomly telling Hinata when to take a turn. They came upon a corner in the long hallway when they heard voices approaching. Hinata stopped immediately and held out her arm to halt Jasmine beside her. Leaning against the wall, Hinata listened intently, trying to make out the voices as friend or foe.

"I don't understand why Jafar wants us to take the Princess prisoner." A male voice confessed.

"We're here to follow orders, not question them!" The other voice barked, "With the Sultan missing, Jafar is the highest in command. Whatever he says goes."

The men continued bickering as Hinata searched for a room for them to hide. She could attempt to take them out on her own, but with people already on the lookout for them, leaving behind bodies in their wake didn't exactly seem like the wisest plan. Jasmine tugged on Hinata's arm and led her behind a column out of sight from anyone who could pass by. They stood pressed up against the column, trying to hold their breaths as the men passed them unnoticed.

"We were almost killed by those things in the banquet hall!" The first voice pointed out, "What does Jafar need us for when he has those things?"

"Just be thankful we are still alive." The other man told him, "We were the Sultan's royal guards; Jafar could still have us beheaded just for that."

Rubbing his hand uncomfortably on his neck, the man shook his head and half-heartedly looked around to see if could catch a glimpse of the Princess. He and the other guard knew very well that the Princess could easily hide behind the pillars that lined the room but in his heart his loyalty still stayed with the Sultan.

Soon both the guards were out of sight and Hinata let out a relieved breath. She was glad she hadn't jumped to conclusions and taken out those men as they seemed like they weren't completely with Jafar.

"My father is missing?" Jasmine muttered under her breath worried.

"Well you are technically missing too, Princess." Hinata pointed out. "I bet Jafar is having some search party for the Sultan; but Riku is keeping him safe and out of sight like I am with you."

Jasmine crossed her arms, "Are you sure Riku is keeping my father safe? I saw Jafar speaking with him while you performed."

Hinata sighed, "Yeah I saw that too. But I'm sure Riku would never harm the Sultan."

They began to walk again, making their way slowly to the ground level to head outside. As they walked Jasmine noted, "You seem to really trust Riku."

"I try to." Hinata admitted, trying to keep her voice down.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine inquired.

Pausing, Hinata wondered why Jasmine cared and if she should really be having such a vulnerable conversation with someone she just met. Something about the Princess seemed comforting to Hinata. For some reason she felt like she could pour her heart out to Jasmine, which in the end made her feel more cautious as she pondered why that was. It was like there was some sort of light surrounding her. She was about to tell Jasmine not to worry about it when she realized that it would be nice to talk to someone about everything. Taking a deep breath, Hinata explained, "I mean, since our home was destroyed, Riku and I have been keeping things from each other. And it's hard to trust someone when they won't be completely open with you."

"Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Without it, anything you build will eventually crumble." Jasmine commented, "Or at least, that's what my mother used to tell me."

Hinata winced at the words from Jasmine. It hurt to hear it but somehow in her heart she knew what the Princess was saying was true. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but having Riku purposefully keeping things from her was chipping away at the solid trust she used to hold in him and she had no doubt that her hiding things was doing the same to him. Without realizing it she felt a tear fall down her cheek that Jasmine quickly noticed.

"I didn't mean to upset you." She apologized then confessed, "It's not like I know what I'm talking about. I can't even choose a husband."

Hastily rubbing the tear away, Hinata assured herself, "Everything will be fine once we…" Her voice trailed off. She was going to say once they were home but their home wasn't there anymore. They didn't have anywhere to go. For all she knew they were going to be stuck under Maleficent forever and things would never get better. Feeling her emotions threatening to take her over, Hinata shook her head and addressed what Jasmine had said. "You'll find the right guy eventually; you'll know it when you see him."

"I hope so." Jasmine whispered, dropping the subject when she saw how Hinata reacted.

They continued walking in silence; Hinata deep in thought. Jasmine kept her head down as she followed, hoping they would make it outdoors soon. She never realized just how large the palace really was. Going down a flight of stairs they finally made their way outside. They walked along a gray stone walkway that had clear water on either side with pink flamingoes standing peacefully, oblivious to all the turmoil. Beyond the water stood a tall white stone wall that seemed to surround the entire palace. By the edge of the wall grew a towering thick tree. Hinata smirked when she spotted it and felt her heart leap for joy. It seemed that throughout all the craziness Princess Jasmine was going to make it to safety.

Pointing towards the tree she told Jasmine, "I'm pretty sure you could climb that tree over the wall. Do you think you can do it?"

Looking where Hinata was pointing, Jasmine felt a lump in her throat from fright and anxiety but nodded all the same. She had to get to safety and hiding in the city was going to be her best bet. They made their way to the tree and Hinata got down on one knee and knitted her fingers together to give Jasmine a boost up. Jasmine reached a high branch and struggled to pull herself up to it. Grasping onto it for dear life she inched her way to the wall. With shaking hands, she vaulted herself over the wall and landed in a heap on the dry sand on the other side.

"Are you alright?" Hinata called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Jasmine coughed as dust flew around her. Once it had cleared, she called back, "Yes, I believe so."

Hinata felt relieved and gave one last bit of advice, "Good, be careful. Try to stay out of sight as much as you can."

A sudden scream from the Princess caused Hinata's heart to jump. Without asking what was wrong she clasped her blades into one sword and rapidly climbed the tree. Within seconds she landed on the other side of the wall and found the Princess surrounded by Heartless. She groaned, maybe the city wasn't the safest place for her. Making her swords into two again she began taking down the enemies. They were small but these ones held their own swords; making taking them down all the more complicated. The amount of them seemed endless and Hinata felt bogged down by the relentless heat from the sun. Eventually, the last Heartless was disintegrated and Hinata watched as its heart floated into the blue sky. Her body was slick with sweat and her breaths were shallow. Leaning against the wall she looked over at Jasmine as she stayed huddled on the ground. Hinata wished she had enough time to at least teach the Princess the basics of sword play if for the only reason so she could protect herself.

Sighing, Hinata helped Jasmine up, "Alright new plan, I'm not leaving you until I find someone else that can protect you."

"Thank you for saving me from those things." Jasmine thanked her as she stood on her feet.

Hinata nodded and looked around the city they found themselves in. Dozens of colorful shopping booths filled with various trinkets filled the area, but the only thing missing was the people. It seemed that once the Heartless attacked mostly everyone evacuated back into their homes. A rather smart decision in Hinata's opinion, but that only made hiding Jasmine all the more difficult.

The sudden sound of metal clanging brought Hinata to attention as she once again tightened her grip on her blades. Her muscles were aching and she dearly hoped that there weren't more Heartless lurking nearby. The heat was really doing a number on her stamina. Taking a few steps into the bazaar with Jasmine close behind her, she spotted a young man rummaging through one of the shopping stands. His hair was black and he wore a tiny red fez. A purple open sleeveless vest was over his toned torso and dirty patched up white pants on his legs. On his shoulder sat a small monkey that also wore a fez on its head.

Seeing a thief should have caused Hinata to get angry, but she couldn't help but feel drawn to the man. She looked back at Jasmine and motioned her head towards him at which Jasmine just looked at her confused. Taking a few steps forward, Hinata called out to the guy, "Um, excuse me?"

The man startled surprised, dropping gold coins and apples onto the ground. In a rush he turned around and sheepishly smiled at them, "Ah, can I help you?"

Jasmine took a step forward obviously also being drawn to him. Hinata smiled at Jasmine then quizzed the man to see if he was fit to watch over Jasmine, "Do you know what happened here? Where is everyone?"

"These creatures just attacked recently, I don't know what they were." He admitted, then reached behind him and pulled out a curved blade, "Nothing I can't handle though." He looked up and grinned when he noticed Jasmine. It seemed that the moment their eyes met there was a visible spark. Both of them got goofy smiles as they slowly approached each other. Reaching one hand behind his head the young man introduced himself, "I'm Aladdin."

The Princess stepped closer, her brown eyes getting obviously lost in him, "Jasmine."

"Street rats have no place with the Princess." Jafar's voice startled all of them. He stood on the other end of the bazaar on a ledge above them; glaring down at Hinata specifically.

Aladdin took a couple steps back surprised, "P-Princess Jasmine?"

Hinata readied her swords, ignoring her tired muscles begging her to stop. Stepping in front of Aladdin and Jasmine she yelled, "Aladdin, get Jasmine to safety. I'll hold Jafar off."

When Aladdin hesitated, Hinata shot him a pleading look. Gulping, Aladdin grabbed Jasmine's hand and ran out of the bazaar. Jafar waved his staff and went up in a red smoke before reappearing on the ground of the bazaar. He ignored Hinata and began walking in the direction of Aladdin.

Hinata turned towards him and sassed, "Oh what am I, chopped liver?"

Jafar stopped but didn't turn to face Hinata, "If you were, at least then you would have some use."

"I might have been more helpful if you told me about the whole invasion plan!" Hinata bit back. "You can't honestly be mad that I didn't play along when I didn't know about the game to begin with!"

"You mean Riku didn't tell you?" Jafar turned around as if he was shocked, then when he saw Hinata's confused look he widened his eyes. "What a terribly awkward situation."

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked suspiciously, feeling her heart beat quicken.

"What did you think they talked about when you were separated in Hallow Bastion?" Iago jumped up and squawked, "Gosh Jafar, where does Maleficent find these bozos?"

"Shut up!" Hinata barked at Iago as he shook his head and flew away.

"Whether you knew about the plans or not, you have made quite the mess of things." Jafar told her, getting back to the subject, "The Princess is supposed to be in my custody."

"Well sorry to disappoint you." Hinata sarcastically remarked. "I don't take well to kidnapping."

"So I have heard." Jafar told her, "The longer you are here the more trouble you create. You seem to be more trouble than you're worth."

"Is that some sort of threat?" Hinata scoffed, "Sorry, but I don't think you would last long in a fight against me."

"And how do you think Riku would react when he found out because of your reckless behavior neither of you would ever see your dear friends again?" Jafar baited, "Oh what was that girl's name again? Oh yes, Kairi. I believe the instructions given to Riku were to complete this mission and he would get Kairi in return."

Hinata's eyes widened hearing that Maleficent had found Kairi. Then shaking her head she countered, "We will find her ourselves if we have to. Doing these horrible things to get her back is wrong!" Readying her swords Hinata threatened, "So do your worst, I'm done with Maleficent's games."

Jafar's lips thinned as he considered his next move. Then looking beyond Hinata he noted, "Why Riku, you're back ahead of schedule."

Hinata quickly spun around to see Riku when only the empty street stands met her eyes. She looked around confused about to go back to confront Jafar, when she felt a sudden intense pain in the back of her head. Jafar whacked her with the top of his golden staff. The corners of her vision began spotting black as she fell to the ground. As the pain in her head grew everything around her began to fade away. The distant sound of Riku calling her name was the last thing she heard before slipping out of consciousness.

"Hinata!" Riku yelled panicked as he sprinted towards her. Skidding to his knees when he neared her he pressed his ear against her chest and placed two fingers along her neck waiting for her pulse. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he heard her familiar heartbeat. Seeing she was alive and just unconscious, Riku instantly stood and yelled, "What did you do?"

Jafar smirked, "You have arrived. I trust the Sultan will no longer prove to be a problem."

Not appreciating Jafar avoiding the question, Riku grabbed Jafar's shoulder and slammed him against a nearby wall. Summoning Soul Eater he repeated, "What did you do?"

"You should be thanking me." Jafar told him, unfazed, "That street rat betrayed you."

"I don't care what she did; you don't lay a finger on her!" Riku growled, completely prepared to gut him where he stood.

A sudden green mist appeared and Maleficent came out of it. She calmly observed everything that was around her before addressing Riku and Jafar, "I see everything is going smoothly."

Not looking away from Jafar, Riku hissed, "He hurt Hinata."

"She became a hindrance to the mission." Maleficent explained,

"She didn't even know the mission existed!" Riku defended, pushing Soul Eater threateningly close against Jafar's throat. Jafar sent Maleficent a look but she subtlety shook her head.

"You had ample amount of time to explain it to her. The fault lies with you alone that she was in the dark." Maleficent accused him, knowing that she was dangerously close to him lashing out towards her. "Jafar did what he had to do. I suggest you take that girl back to Hallow Bastion for safety. You will be summoned when you are needed again."

Riku tightened his grip on Soul Eater, feeling the effects of anger turning into hatred and developing into darkness inside his heart. Everything about Jafar was sickening him. No one had the right to hurt Hinata. Releasing his hold on Jafar, Riku breathed through his clenched teeth, "You're lucky Maleficent was here, otherwise you wouldn't be." Dissipating Soul Eater, he backed up and scooped Hinata into his arms, careful to keep her head on his shoulder. Putting out a hand, he summoned a Corridor to Darkness to make his way back to Hallow Bastion. Before he stepped through he glared back at Jafar and threatened, "If you ever hurt her again, no one will be able to stop me from ending you."

As soon as he stepped through, Jafar relaxed and straightened his robes. He rubbed his bony fingers along his neck and gave a distasteful growl when he saw blood on his hand. Looking over at Maleficent he noted, "That boy better be worth the trouble."

Maleficent smirked as she flicked her hand and sent a whiff of green mist that instantly healed Jafar's wound, "He is I assure you. Even that encounter you just had with him grew his darkness greatly."

Jafar cleared his throat; silently thankful his neck was healed, and informed her "If you had not shown up, I would have unleashed my magic. He never would have stood a chance."

"I am aware." Maleficent claimed, "That was why I was swift in my intervention. He reacted more recklessly than I anticipated; which only means his darkness is growing." Turning to begin walking through the street, Maleficent informed Jafar, "He completed his part of the mission. The Sultan will not stand in your way."

Joining Maleficent on her walk, Jafar smirked, "Perfect. Agrabah is finally under my rule." After a few moments of silence he asked, "What will become of that girl?"

Maleficent laughed, "The time has finally come to rid ourselves of her." She stopped walking and took a couple steps back, "I am going to break the news to the boy, I shall return to check your progress on the Keyhole and the Princess."

Jafar put a hand on his chest and bowed, "Everything is under control. I shall await your return."

With a wave of her arms, Maleficent was surrounded by a green mist when it dissipated she was back in Hallow Bastion. Hades was standing by the flat round stone in the center of the room, re-watching over Hinata's confrontation with Jafar. He arched an eyebrow at Maleficent when she appeared in the room. "Lover boy just came through with that girl in his arms. He didn't even say hello, just stormed out of here."

Maleficent nodded as she walked out of the room, "I assume he brought her to their room. I shall return momentarily."

Swiftly, she made her way to Riku and Hinata's room; relishing the feeling that she was finally going to rid herself of Hinata. The only thing that girl was good for was holding back the darkness in Riku and that was no longer needed. Reaching the door, she opened it and allowed herself entry. She found Riku had laid Hinata on top of the bed and was sitting on the bed beside her. His face was twisted between worry and pure rage. Maleficent smirked, that was exactly where she wanted him. Closing the door behind her, Riku didn't even look her way.

After a couple moments of silence Maleficent asked, "How is she faring?"

"Like you care about that," Riku bit, then took a deep breath, "I think she'll be fine. I gave her some potion so it's only a matter of time until she wakes up."

"She can't stay here." Maleficent told him plainly.

Riku fisted some blanket into his hand, "So that's it then. You guys frame her to mess up and it's suddenly time for her leave?"

"Jafar was right," Maleficent began.

"Jafar was NOT right!" Riku barked, standing up from the bed.

Maleficent cleared her throat, not appreciating the interruption, "As I was saying, Hinata betrayed you." Rubbing her hand over the orb on her staff an image of Hinata talking with Jafar appeared.

Riku watched the entire confrontation between them and widened his eyes when Jafar full out pushed him under the bus. Hinata knew he lied to her about the mission and he suddenly felt guilty. He wondered how things could have been different if only he had been straight up with her; but in the back of his mind he had a feeling that things wouldn't have changed as much as he would have like. She still would have gotten upset being forced to be part of something like that and she still would have helped the Princess. Looking back up at Maleficent he said plainly, "I don't see how she betrayed me. The only thing I see is she's sick and tired of your manipulation. And I'm starting to feel the same way!"

"She knows the requirements of staying here. By completing missions I in turn find your friends." Maleficent reminded him, "I cannot set the missions to fit her preferences. She is causing a hindrance to everyone here."

Riku was about to bite back when he realized there wasn't anything he could say. Hinata was, even unintentionally, causing trouble. He clenched his fists in frustration and looked back at Hinata as she lay peacefully on the bed. It was probably going to be the last time she would be like that for a long time. Sighing in resignation he asked, "Where is she supposed to go? You can't really be expecting me to just leave her on a random world."

Maleficent uncharacteristically sighed; she couldn't help but hate how much trouble she had to go through for that girl. Forcing a smile she said, "A vessel is being prepared for her as we speak."

"Did you know this was going to happen?" He glared up at Maleficent, "And what if I decide to go with her?"

"I would advise against it, we have Kairi in our custody. If you leave, you'll lose the only chance you have to get her back. As well as any hope to rightfully gain back your Keyblade." Maleficent baited, purposefully avoiding his other question. "You simply have to ask yourself what is more important; your destiny or a girl who's trying to keep you from your full potential?" Smirking when Riku's face slightly paled, Maleficent turned to head out the door saying, "I'll give you some time to think it over. You will be summoned when needed."

Riku closed the door behind Maleficent as she left and pressed his forehead against it. He was being played, he knew it. From right under his nose they had pushed him into a corner. There was no way he could just abandon Hinata; but he had to get Kairi. He had to have that Keyblade. Letting out a yell, he slammed his fist into the wall. He felt his skin split as the reverberation of jolting pain vibrated through him. Tears stung the corners of his eyes from both the pain and everything happening. Hastily pushing at his eyes with his uninjured hand, Riku turned and leaned his back against the door. He looked down at his bloodied knuckles, absently watching the red liquid run down his fingers eventually dripping slowly to the floor. Glancing up at Hinata he felt his heart sink; he knew what he had to do.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading. Please let me know what you think! *****


	29. Separate Ways

Chapter 29

Hinata winced from the aching pain in her head as consciousness eased back into her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and realized she was no longer in Agrabah but in Hollow Bastion. She laid there in confusion for a moment, trying to figure out how she had gotten there when the events of Agrabah flooded her mind. Helping Jasmine out of the castle and then confronting Jafar; all of those things happened right before she somehow lost consciousness. She put her hand on her forehead as it throbbed and tried to piece her memories together. Turning her head she saw Riku sitting next to her. He sat with his knees to his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around his legs. Hinata noticed he was back in his regular clothes and seemed deep in thought as he stared absently at the opposite wall with his chin resting on his knees; not noticing that Hinata was awake or moving.

Trying to find her voice, Hinata hoarsely asked, "What happened?"

Riku shot his head up and looked over at Hinata. His expression going from relief to sadness as he noticed she was awake. Hinata frowned as she noticed his usually bright eyes were dulled and somehow dark; something heavy was weighing on his mind. After a few moments of silence, Riku eventually spoke up, "Jafar knocked you unconscious and I brought you back here."

Hinata looked up at the ceiling as she replayed the events in her mind. "Jafar said you were behind me and I turned to see you but you weren't there. Then I fell; that must have been when he did it." She recounted the events aloud, then slowly sitting up despite the look she got from Riku for moving so soon she continued, "I guess I should have expected as much considering how much I messed up his and Maleficent's plans." Taking a deep breath, she paused and regretfully had to address Riku's involvement. "Which reminds me, Jafar and Iago mentioned that you knew about the mission all along." Uncomfortably lacing her fingers together on her lap, she glanced over at Riku beside her waiting for his response.

Avoiding her eyes, Riku focused on his ungloved hands around his legs; examining the still open cuts on his purpled knuckles, thankful Hinata hadn't yet noticed them. Most of the blood was gone as he had washed it away and changed before Hinata awoke; but hardly enough time had passed for any proper healing to occur. The cool air stung the wounds and provided a distraction from the mess he had found himself in. Realizing that Hinata was somehow patiently awaiting his response he confessed, "They told me everything when we were separated. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you involved; but I didn't realize you would be forced into it." With everything Hinata was putting up with, he felt that he could at least give her the truth.

"So you did know…" Hinata quietly acknowledged, feeling the start of hurt and anger beginning to simmer inside her. Bringing her knees to her chest she copied the way Riku was sitting. She didn't know how to handle everything she was hearing. Taking a deep breath she decided to ask the dreaded question, "What did you do to the Sultan?"

"I told him I would keep him safe and then I put him in a jail cell I found." Riku confessed.

"You betrayed him." Hinata accused plainly, the feelings inside her quickly turning into a boil.

"I was following orders." He responded.

Hinata scoffed and got off of the bed, ignoring the complaints of her stiff muscles. She didn't understand how Riku could think like this. "Those orders were hurting an innocent man!" Hinata pointed out, her once calm voice quickly rising in volume. "When I was protecting Jasmine I promised her that you were doing the same for her father!" Clenching her hands into tight fists, Hinata could feel her nails digging into her skin. "I told her I trusted you. That I was sure you were a good person; but then you go and do all of these awful things!"

"What did you expect me to do?" Riku interrupted, getting up from the bed, his own voice raising. "Go against Maleficent like you did and just cause trouble? You know what you did on Agrabah only made things worse for us!"

Hinata felt her nails beginning to break into the skin of her palm. She had a feeling that Maleficent and Jafar wouldn't be too happy with how she had gone out of her way to ruin their plans in Agrabah; but something also told her that they weren't too surprised. A flash of worry rushed into her when she remembered Jafar mentioning that her reckless behavior could possibly keep them from finding Kairi; yet she pushed it aside and burst out, "Yes! Because everything they are having us do is wrong! We can find Kairi on our own if we really have to."

Riku crossed his arms and took a deep breath. He was expecting Hinata to be livid with him for everything he had done. She didn't seem to understand him the way he desired she would. If only she felt the same way he did he wouldn't need to be sending her away. As much as she was yelling at him, he couldn't bring himself to be angry with her; though he wished he could be. If he was angry, making her leave would be so much easier. Instead he just felt sad. He looked at the way she stood there, her back to him. She was standing tall, indignant and sure of her point of view. Everything about this subject caused them to go into long drawn out arguments and Riku didn't see the point in it; not when they had so little time left together. Walking up behind her, he cautiously put his hands on her arms and was shocked when she only tensed up further from his touch. Feeling hurt by the rejection, Riku pled, "Can we not do this now? I'd rather not be arguing with our last few minutes together."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, loosening her fists and feeling her heart beginning to race.

Sighing deeply, Riku informed her, "You aren't welcome here anymore. They want you to leave."

Dozens of emotions bogged Hinata's mind; she didn't quite know how to handle the news. She brought her cut hands together in front of her and felt a huge relief float off of her that she wasn't going to have to be around Maleficent anymore. No more following her orders or being manipulated. She and Riku were free. Except, her mind went back to the words Riku used; their last few minutes together. Her eyes widened as the relief was replaced with dread. Feeling her throat go dry, Hinata asked the question she was sure she was going to regret, "Are you coming with me?" She felt tears well up in her eyes as Riku immediately took his hands off of her, knowing his answer.

"I… can't." Riku admitted, taking a couple steps back, "There are things I need to do. They have Kairi."

Hinata spun around, desperate to change his mind, "We can find her ourselves Riku! We don't need to have some manipulative witch dictating our every move!"

"No, I mean Maleficent has her in custody." Riku explained.

"You have Soul Eater don't you?" Hinata urged him hoping she could get through to him, "And I have my blades. Let's go get her! She has to be somewhere in this castle if they have her in custody."

"We can't, Hinata." Riku shook his head.

"Why not?" She protested, taking a step towards him.

"We just can't!" Riku threw his hands up and shouted, "I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be."

Hinata eyed Riku suspiciously, "There's something else isn't there? Another reason you are staying besides getting back Kairi."

Riku shot Hinata an annoyed look, "Does it really matter?"

"Yes Riku, it does!" Hinata threw her hands in the air. She couldn't believe he was adding another secret that he was keeping from her. "How am I supposed to trust you when all you do is keep things from me? And now you're sending me away?"

"It isn't my choice!" Riku yelled in his defense.

"Yes it is," Hinata shot back, not being fooled for a second, "You know we could find Kairi ourselves at this point! We have a ship and weapons. It would be harder on our own but at least we could do it with a clear conscience! Instead, you are pushing me to go out into the unknown alone just so you can stay behind to do… I don't even know!"

"You're making it sound like I don't care about you at all!" Riku accused.

"What do you expect me to think Riku?" Hinata pleaded, "You're sending me out on my own! I don't even know if I'll ever see you again! You are pushing me away for whatever it is you want more than me!"

Riku felt his heart wrench, he knew he was throwing Hinata away in favor of power. The darkness was eating at his heart and he should be getting as far away from it as he could; but instead he felt drawn to it. In the back of his mind he could hear his small voice begging him to change his mind. Hinata deserved better than what he was doing to her. Turning around he ran his uninjured hand through his hair and tried to get rid of the qualms inside him. He was doing the right thing he just knew it. Once he had the power of darkness on his side he could set things right. Glancing over his shoulder at Hinata he mumbled, "It's not like that. You don't understand."

"Maybe I would if you would just tell me." Hinata took a step forward and reached for one of his hands; gasping when she saw the way he winced and ripped his hand away.

Holding his hand in front of him, Riku grimaced as small beads of blood began to form on the cuts on his knuckles from Hinata's grasp, reopening the wounds. He clenched his hand into a fist, only causing the fresh scabs to tear further, and tightly closed his eyes. The soft touch of Hinata's hands around his wrist caused him to open his eyes again. She was standing in front of him holding his arm and her once angered expression swiftly softening. Slowly she ran her hand over his clenched fist, instantly relaxing Riku, and opened his palm. They stood in comforting silence for a moment as Hinata looked at the bleeding abrasions.

Lightly running her fingers along his she whispered, "What happened?"

Riku momentarily closed his eyes, taking in Hinata's soft touch, before explaining, "After I brought you back here Maleficent told me that you had to leave. I tried to talk her out of it, saying it wasn't your fault and they forced you into it; but… it didn't work." Bringing his other hand over Hinata's he continued, "So after Maleficent left I hit the wall." He motioned his head towards a dented part of the wall near the bedroom door, watching as Hinata turned to look before admitting, "It isn't right. You shouldn't have to go."

"I don't mind leaving." Hinata confessed turning back to face Riku, "I just don't understand why you aren't coming with." Her soft expression slowly turned to sadness as she stared absently at Riku's hands. The previous anger in her was gone and all that remained was a broken spirit. Riku wasn't going to tell her why he was staying behind and she wasn't going to succeed in changing his mind. She was going to have to head out on her own, the one thing she had been scared of. Solemnly accepting her fate, she asked, "Where am I supposed to go?"

Riku tightened his hand that over Hinata's. "Anywhere you want. There's a ship all set up for you in the hangar."

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked, choking back a tear.

A long moment of silence reigned between them as both thought about where their lives were taking them. Riku had wanted Hinata to be by his side forever; yet here he was sending her away. There was no guarantee they would ever be together again. Riku opened his mouth to answer but didn't want to say the words in his mind. Instead he pulled Hinata into his arms and held her close to him, ignoring the pained spasms in his hand. He felt her shoulders begin to heave as she began to break down, tears soaking his shirt. In all the time he had known Hinata he had never seen her like this and it was all because of him.

"I-I don't want to be alone Riku!" Hinata cried, muffled by his chest.

His heart sank at her words. He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Everything inside of him wanted to make it all better for her; he wanted to comfort her and tell her that it would turn out alright; but it wasn't going to. He was throwing away the greatest thing that had ever happened to him even though she was begging him to change his mind. Feeling a lump form in his throat, he whispered, "I'm sorry…"

Hearing Riku apologize only made the once burnt out anger inside Hinata rekindle. Sliding her hands between her and Riku she pushed him away feeling his hurt eyes stare into her as she attempted to compose herself. Looking up at his face she demanded, "Why are you doing this? If you're sorry, why are you pushing me away?"

"Hinata, I…" Riku stammered; his resolve of keeping everything from her quickly crumbling beneath him.

The sudden vibration from the black device around his belt loop caught their attention. Giving Hinata an apologetic look, Riku reached down to grab the device as Hinata backed away. She pushed at her eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. Anger and sadness swirled through her entire being. Reaching the edge of the bed, she sat and planted her face in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. She heard Riku open the bedroom door and leave the room so he could answer the call, most likely from Maleficent; no doubt she was spying on them. Reluctantly, she lifted her face and looked towards the other door in the room that led to a bathroom. Standing, she felt like her knees were going to give way and stumbled her way to the door. With everything happening, it felt like life as she knew it was being pulled out from under her. Opening the door she walked inside and saw herself in the mirror. She was a wreck; still in her outfit from Agrabah, her face was red and puffy from crying and dust caked to her skin. Feeling her knees weaken, she grasped the edge of the marble counter for support. Her knuckles strained white and began to shake as she tightened her grip, feeling the familiar sting of tears threatening to break loose. With a small cry her knees gave way and she fell to the ground letting the streams of tears rain down her already moist cheeks. Everything was hitting her at once. She was about to go out on her own; free from Maleficent yes, but that didn't even matter if Riku was staying behind. He wasn't going to stop doing Maleficent's missions, even after he got Kairi back, Hinata was sure of that. There was something or someone changing him and he didn't even see it. Hinata was terrified of what he would do if she wasn't there. Everything she had seen from Hen Wen's vision was coming to pass; as much as she tried to deny it, Riku was changing. She couldn't describe how she was feeling at the moment; betrayed, furious, frightened, sad, and so many more emotions were stabbing into her at once. The sound of the bedroom door opening brought Hinata out of her emotional trance and she suddenly wished she had closed the door to the bathroom so Riku wouldn't see her the way she was.

"Hinata!" Riku exclaimed worried as she ran over to where she fell on the tile floor. Kneeling beside her he noticed her white knuckles clenched on the edge of the counter above her. He placed his hands softly over hers and felt her tense up before finally relaxing her hold and releasing her hands from the counter. Pulling her hands towards his chest he massaged them to bring the blood flow back to normal as he examined her face. Her golden brown eyes were filled with conflicting emotion as he was sure his were the same.

"Riku," Hinata eventually spoke up, "I need to tell you something before I leave."

"What?" He asked, putting her hands on his lap once the color was returning.

Hinata closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Remember how I told you I used Hen Wen to see a vision?" When Riku nodded she felt her heart twist as she continued, "I never told you what I saw."

"You said you didn't want to tell me." He responded, looking away as he felt the frustration of not being told beginning to rise.

"I know, I should have told you from the start but I was scared." She admitted.

"Of what?" He asked, looking back at her surprised.

"I didn't know how you would react or if anything I saw was true; but if I'm going to leave, you deserve to know whatever it was I saw and decide for yourself if it's true." She momentarily glanced up at Riku before explaining everything she saw in the vision, "I was hoping the vision would be of my past, but instead it was about you. You were standing in a long hallway here in Hollow Bastion with your back to me; but then you turned around, summoned Soul Eater, and pointed it straight at me. Then a dark mist surrounded you and you started screaming as if you were in pain until the mist completely covered you. When the mist disappeared a different man stood in your place, but at the same time it still felt like it was you. You, or the man that took your place, summoned some sort of dark spell and was about to shoot it at me when I stopped the vision." Pulling her hands back from Riku she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Looking absently down at her feet she admitted, "I've never been so frightened in my life. That man's eyes were so… evil."

"You think that guy was me?" Riku asked, and then worried, "You know I would never hurt you, right?"

Hinata couldn't help but laugh bitterly as a fresh tear fell. "Not physically anyways."

"What? I would never…" He began to protest when he took notice of the way she looked; in tears, crumbled on the floor. She was like that because of him. Clenching at his heart he felt it twist with pain. He couldn't believe what he was doing to Hinata; what he was doing to their relationship. After she left on that gummi ship things would never be the same between them, he knew it; yet, he had to finish what he started. Sighing, he stood up and offered his hand to Hinata, "We don't have much time. Can you walk?"

Wiping her cheeks dry, she nodded as she took his hand and let him help her up. She slightly wobbled as she stood but Riku was at her side for support; probably the last time he ever would be. Keeping his arm around her, Riku helped Hinata walk out of the bedroom so they could head to the hangar bay. He held her close to him, trying to take in everything about her and lock it away in memory. Everything about what he was doing was making him furious with himself; but somehow that only fueled his desire to follow the path he was on. It was difficult to explain and Riku didn't quite understand it himself. The anger fueled into him, transforming into a spike of adrenaline that he had grown addicted to; yet also left an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe that was the power of darkness Maleficent had been referring to. He took a deep breath, feeling the rush course through him and felt a small smile creep onto his face from the sensation. Looking over at Hinata in his arms his smile washed away being replaced with sadness.

Rubbing his thumb along her shoulder he broke their silence, "Thank you for telling me. About the vision I mean."

Hinata slowly nodded, "I should have told you sooner." She was blaming herself for keeping it to herself. Seeing everything he had been willing to do lately, she couldn't help but wonder if the vision did have a grain of truth to it. Only time would tell, yet she wondered if she had told him from the beginning if things would have turned out differently.

"I wouldn't think about it too much." Riku assured her, wishing he could take his own advice, "I would never hurt you." He inwardly shuddered at the thought of the vision. Everything Hinata had described to him were things he was currently learning and doing. He hoped he would never turn those powers against Hinata. She meant everything to him.

"I know." Hinata whispered in reply, not sure she believed herself. She worried about how he would react if she interfered with any future missions. If he was willing to hurt innocent people there was no telling where he would draw the line. The thought made her knees weaken and she almost fell again when Riku scooped her up into his arms.

"I'll carry you the rest of the way, you don't have to worry." He whispered as he readjusted her in his arms and continued walking.

Hinata nuzzled into his shoulder despite all the animosity she was feeling and absently played with the collar of his shirt. The warmth of his body seeped into her and she closed her eyes. She wondered how things could have changed so rapidly between them. Only weeks ago they were back on the island building a raft and now they were on a whole other world with no place to call home; and they were separating. She hadn't the slightest idea where she was going to go, or even how to operate a gummi ship in the first place. Everything about being on her own was daunting and frightening to her. Even though she was capable of taking care of herself, something about being completely alone was terrifying. A part of her wished she had been more like Riku and just done the missions no matter the cost; yet she knew she could never do that. Exhaustion from all the emotional draining was beginning to beckon her as she yawned and leaned into Riku's chest. His rhythmic heartbeat slowly began to relax her racing one as she felt her mind drifting off into sleep.

Riku leaned his cheek against Hinata's head as he noticed her breaths even out into slumber. He couldn't help but smile that through everything happening she could still fall asleep. Once she was tired there was nothing stopping her from taking a nap, it was one of those little things he always liked about her. He knew that once she left, sleep for him was going to be a rare occurrence; he would just have to keep himself busy to distract himself. It was going to be lonely without Hinata at his side anymore. Much sooner than he would have liked he reached the hangar bay and headed towards the gummi ship Hinata was taking. It was the same one they had previously travelled on and Riku was glad Hinata would at least have something familiar to take with her. Approaching the door, it slid open allowing them inside. Riku headed over to one of the small beds and carefully laid Hinata on top of one; smiling as she subconsciously hugged and snuggled into a pillow beside her. He knelt beside the bed wondering if he should wake her but then decided to give the ship an inspection before doing so.

Standing, he walked towards the cockpit, spotting Hinata's regular clothes and swords on top of the small table. Stopping at the swords he picked them up and thought back to all the times he and Hinata had sparred. The time he spent with her on the island had been the best time in his life. He loved hanging out with Sora and Kairi but Hinata had awakened something inside of him; and now he was pushing her away and closing that chapter in his life. Looking away as he felt his heart sink, he placed the swords back onto the table and made his way to the cockpit. He was glad he decided to look over the ship before leaving as he saw the gifts he received from Bedivere and Mordred still on the control board. Grabbing them, he placed them in his pocket and wondered if he would ever actually use them. He examined the control board, during their silent trip to Prydain he had gotten himself acquainted with the controls of the ship. It had been on auto-pilot at the time so it was the perfect time to learn. The ship was set rather simply for Hinata, once he left it would automatically take her to space. All she would have to do after that was input coordinates in the navigation system and it would take her anywhere she wanted. He wondered where she would end up going and wished he could join her.

"Riku?" He heard Hinata call his name sleepily but also slightly panicked.

Turning around he quickly walked back to the bed Hinata was on, "I'm right here."

Hinata sighed relieved as she sat up and looked up at him, her golden eyes glazed over from exhaustion. "I was worried you left without saying goodbye."

Riku came and sat beside her on the bed, "I wouldn't do that. But I do need to get going."

Knitting her hands together, Hinata felt her stomach knot. "Another mission?"

Reluctantly nodding, Riku confirmed, "Unfinished business in Agrabah."

"Jasmine," Hinata whispered, drawing her own conclusions. She closed her eyes as worry joined in with the already overloading pile of emotions. "Did they find her?"

Realizing that he really shouldn't be bringing it up around Hinata when she was about to leave he stood up, "Don't worry about it."

"Promise me you won't hurt her Riku." Hinata pleaded, knowing his vague answer meant Jasmine had been found.

Riku put his hands on his hips and looked at the ceiling, "I can't guarantee anything."

"Just… try then." Hinata urged him, "She doesn't deserve any of the things that have been happening to her. You are going to kidnap her no matter what I say, but, please for me, try not to harm her."

"Alright," Riku turned to look at Hinata and knelt in front of her, "I promise."

Hinata reached forward for Riku's hands and rubbed them worriedly, making sure to avoid brushing over his cuts on his knuckles. "Be careful. I don't know what Maleficent is planning, but I know it isn't good and in my opinion you shouldn't be helping her with it." Looking up she saw a flash of frustration across Riku's eyes but he remained silent. Darting her eyes away she continued, "For whatever reason you want to stay here and I have to let you do what you think is right. Can I ask you to promise me something though?"

"What is it?" Riku asked, squeezing her hands.

"While I'm gone, promise me you'll think about the real reason you're staying behind and if it's really the right thing to do. I don't know why you decided what you did and honestly it hurts that you would put it above us." She winced when Riku squeezed her hands painfully tight, even though she was sure he didn't realize just how hard he was pressing. "If you feel like you need to keep it from me, then maybe it's not as right as you think."

"Hinata, that's not true." Riku defended, feeling his eyes turning into a glare.

"Maybe you're right," Hinata admitted looking back undeterred, she stood aside too long. Now she needed to let Riku know how she really felt before she left. "But you might be wrong and that's what I want you to decide for yourself. I fail to see how helping a witch with her evil deeds is a plan that warrants getting rid of someone you care about." She felt relieved as Riku loosened his hold on her hands.

Riku's eyes softened as he listened to Hinata's words and he placed a kiss on Hinata's hands. Looking back up at Hinata he told her, "You have to trust me."

Hinata gave him a sad smile, not sure how she was supposed to trust him when he kept so many things from her; but nodded her head all the same. "I will try my best Riku." Looking back down at their clasped hands reality began hitting her again. It was time to say goodbye. Closing her eyes she asked, "We'll see each other again right?"

He was surprised to hear her ask him again and honestly he didn't know the answer when he remembered their black devices. Getting a sudden smile he reached and pulled out the square device. "We have these remember? No matter what world you're on you can still call me." His smile wavered as he saw Hinata's eyes shift away.

She sighed and regretfully confessed, "I lost my device in Traverse Town." Looking back at Riku she saw his expression sadden, "I'm sorry."

Riku shook his head sadly, "It's alright." Placing the device on the bed beside Hinata he continued, "Then I guess you'll need this. I'll see if I can get another one so we can stay in contact."

"I don't think Maleficent will give you one since she doesn't even want you talking with me in the first place." Hinata remarked, looking at the device beside her.

"Well she gave you an entire ship," Riku mentioned, getting his hopes up that they would have some way to stay in contact.

"Just another piece in her game." Hinata sighed, not liking that even though she was leaving, Maleficent still had some sort of influence on her actions, "She has some hidden reason to giving me all this I'm sure of it."

"I wouldn't have let you leave with anything less." Riku admitted, placing his hand under Hinata's chin and pointed her face towards his. "I'll make sure I find a way to get to you when this is all over. This won't be the last time we see each other, I'm going to make sure of it."

Another tear escaped down Hinata's cheek and Riku quickly brushed it away, leaning in he replaced the tear with a kiss. Pressing his forehead against hers, they sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, trying to soak each other in. Hinata was on the verge of another breakdown but desperately kept it in as Riku cupped her face with his hands and pressed his lips to hers. It was a short yet passionate kiss; both of them wanted more but it served more as a promise that it wasn't going to be their last.

Pulling away, Riku looked right into Hinata's eyes with a serious glint in his and promised, "Everything is going to be alright. We'll see each other again."

With a heavy heart, Riku gave her one last kiss on her cheek before letting go of her and standing up. Hinata got up after him as he walked to the exit of the gummi ship. Heading out of the door, they stood facing each other; Riku standing right outside and Hinata inside. The hangar bay doors began opening as the vessel's door shut between them, both on opposite sides. The engines of the ship started up as it slowly lifted off of the ground and got ready to depart. Hinata looked out of the window on the door to see Riku one last time as he stood as close as he could without being in the way of the ship; watching him slowly shrink as the vessel left the planet to make its way to space, before turning around and leaning her back against the door. She slid to the ground and buried her face in her hands as she released all of the emotions inside her.

Riku watched the ship and Hinata disappear feeling his heart sinking further into his chest the farther away she got. He had done it; she was out of the picture for better or worse. Now he could focus on what he was meant for. He was ready to accept the power of darkness and now Hinata wouldn't be holding him back. She was wrong, he was doing the right thing; she just didn't understand it like he did. Maybe she would someday; once he was more powerful and could control the darkness completely. Reluctantly he turned around and began walking out of the hangar bay pushing at his eyes as he felt them moisten from his emotions. He wasn't going to cry about it, it was his choice to pursue darkness. He was doing the right thing; Hinata would have to know that someday.

***** Author's Note: Wow this was a really hard chapter to write! It's difficult to have characters you love break apart like this. I am thinking of switching between Hinata and Riku every chapter. Next chapter will be Riku finishing Agrabah and then the chapter after that will be Hinata with the beginning of her journey. Thank you everyone for reading and for all the amazing reviews everyone gives me. I love feedback! *****


	30. Conflicted Heart

Chapter 30

Riku walked out of the hangar bay, trying to get Hinata out of his mind and focus on the mission at hand; but he couldn't think of anything else. The way she had broken down when she worried she would never see him again was something he hoped he would never have to experience again. He thought back to what Hinata made him promise; figuring out if what he was doing was right. When she had asked him about it he wasn't sure what to say. The darkness inside him was growing and causing him to become more and more powerful. Soon nothing would be able to stand in his way. At the same time, however, he wondered if the price to pay for the power was too great. As he exited the hangar bay he momentarily stopped walking. Holding out his uninjured hand he summoned dark firaga and watched as the black sparking flames consumed his hand, feeling its energy pulsating through him. It was invigorating. Feeling a smile come across his face, he clenched his hand into a fist instantly dissipating the spell before continuing his walk down the hall; pleasantly shivering as the remnant darkness from it flickered through him while ignoring the gradually growing emptiness inside him. It felt so right; he had to be doing the right thing.

He made his way to the dark area with the round stone structure in the center of the room. Maleficent and Hades were standing around the stone watching a glowing image of Jafar talking with a group of people. As Riku approached his smile was replaced with a scowl as he noticed the people Jafar was addressing was Sora with his new companions.

Crossing his arms he asked, "What's Sora doing there?"

"He arrived shortly before I called." Maleficent informed him, glancing over to examine his state before commenting, "I see that the girl is no longer with you."

"She just left." Riku tightened his grip on his arms and watched the projection on the stone. Jasmine laid unconscious on the ground behind Jafar as he stood on a stone platform in front of some sort of keyhole. Sora stood with his 'friends'; the white duck and a young man Riku had never seen before, below in a large circular room. The room had strange golden statues lined along the walls; each statue holding a different type of glowing gem that illuminated the room. He felt his heart irk when Sora summoned his Keyblade and couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was a different shape now than what he had seen in Traverse Town but Riku could tell it was still a Keyblade, somehow his heart knew. He shot his eyes up when he heard Hades break the silence.

"So when's the little squirt going in to get the Princess?" Hades spoke up motioning towards Riku.

Maleficent held up her hand, "All in good time. Jafar is insistent that he has the situation under control so I am willing to give him his chance."

At the mention of Jafar's name made Riku tense; he could feel the familiar anger rising up in him. He scoffed and shrugged, "Why bother? He obviously won't be able to handle everything by himself. Just send me in now; I'll get the job done."

"Indeed you could," Maleficent agreed, "But in the meantime, a lesson in darkness may prove more useful."

Riku felt a spark of interest at her words. Looking up at Maleficent he asked, "What is it this time?"

"You recently injured your hand did you not?" She asked him with a knowing look.

Reluctantly, Riku held out his hand with the cut knuckles. Specks of dried blood crusted around his fingers and hand as he had not gotten a chance to clean it after Hinata accidentally reopened the wounds. Maleficent placed her hand above Riku's and slowly created a green mist that surrounded his cuts. Riku winced as the mist touched his skin. It felt like it was digging inside of him with needles and probing him; while at the same time had a slight tingling sensation. His eyes widened when Maleficent moved her hand and his hand was completely healed.

Before Riku could ask, she explained, "You can use the power of darkness to heal minor wounds. It can take a large amount of energy and should be used sparingly. Once used it takes a recovery time before you can use any magic again."

Riku clenched his hand into a fist, thankful the pain was gone. He looked up at Maleficent and nodded in acknowledgment to her words. This spell was going to be beyond useful to him, although he wished he knew of it earlier to help awaken Hinata. Putting his hand back down to his side he asked, "Anything else to teach me?"

Maleficent shook her head slowly, "When tampering with darkness, lessons must be spaced accordingly."

"Why?" Riku inquired, feeling himself become impatient. "I'm ready."

"I am sure you are; however, as I mentioned earlier, if you are careless with your use of darkness, it will consume your heart." She reminded him.

Riku crossed his arms and felt his stomach knot. He didn't want to wait, he needed more power. Shaking his head he argued, "My heart is too strong for the darkness to take. You said so yourself, my heart is stronger than others."

"But still able to succumb to darkness if you are careless." She clarified, wondering why all of her minions always insisted they were strong enough to steep endlessly in darkness. That was the sweet temptation of power she supposed. "We will continue your lessons after you retrieve the Princess."

"Fine," Riku waved his hand frustrated in the air and resigned.

"Jafar isn't doing so hot." Hades informed them, "Seems like that runt might actually do him in."

Both Maleficent and Riku looked back at the projection. Even with the genie on his side, Jafar was still losing in his fight against Sora. He was grabbing at his chest, tired and out of magic as Sora and his friends were unrelenting in their attacks. Maleficent shook her head with a scowl. It seemed that Jafar's pride caused him to get in over his head.

Tapping her staff onto the ground she instructed Riku, "Now you must make haste for the Princess. Use a corridor of darkness to get there swiftly."

Riku smirked; glad Jafar was being taken down. Even though he wished he could have done it himself. Closing his eyes he held out his hand and imagined the room Jasmine was in. As he made the connection he felt a surge of power leave his body and form a black portal. About to walk through the portal he told them, "I'll be back."

He entered the portal and found himself in the same black hazy corridor he had followed Jafar into Agrabah the first time. He had walked through here when he came back from Agrabah, but he had been so furious and worried about Hinata unconscious in his arms he barely remembered it. The surrounding mist seemed to bog down his energy. Maleficent wasn't kidding when she told him that using too much darkness could end up making him weak rather than powerful. He would have to find a good balance to gain his full potential power. Looking around, he found the overwhelming silence unsettling. Both of the other times he had traveled through here, Hinata had been with him. Now he was truly alone. The feeling made him shiver; he never wanted to be alone. He stopped walking for a moment when he realized that must be how Hinata was feeling on her own. Shaking his head he shoved the thought out of his mind. If he was going to keep growing in darkness, he needed to stop wallowing in what he did to Hinata. What was done was done; it was time for him to deal with the consequences.

Approaching the light at the end of the corridor he remembered the promise he made to Hinata to make sure he didn't harm Jasmine. She had been unconscious when he entered the corridor, so it would seem that the promise would be easily fulfilled. Entering the light he appeared in Agrabah; standing where Jafar had stood, in front of the keyhole. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness compared to the darkness he was just walking through. A wave of unrelenting heat surrounded Riku as beads of sweat swiftly formed on his skin. Taking a look around he was surprised to find Jasmine awake. She was kneeling on the edge of the stone platform looking down into the large circular room where Sora had once stood with his friends. Riku looked beyond Jasmine at the room and was shocked to see the floor had caved in. From where he stood he could see that beneath the floor was a deep hole that led to a volcanic area; no doubt where the heat was emanating from. He could barely make out Sora down on platforms above the lava. He was still fighting with Jafar, only Jafar had somehow turned into a towering red genie. Silently, Riku looked away from the fight and took a few steps towards Jasmine. He had talked her father into trusting him; maybe he could do the same to her.

The Princess watched Aladdin worriedly as he fought with Sora against Jafar. She tensed up as she heard faint footsteps approaching her. Feeling her heart begin to race, she forced herself to turn around to face the intruder, gasping when she realized it was Riku.

Riku quickly put his hands up in surrender to show he meant no harm. "It's alright; I'm not here to hurt you."

"Is that what you told my father?" Jasmine accused him. "Jafar told me what you did to him."

Putting his hands down, Riku felt an itch of rage trickle through him. Jafar had opened his big mouth again. He really hoped Sora would finish him off. Crossing his arms, Riku defended annoyed, "Look, I'm just following orders. Your dad is safe, just like you'll be if you come with me."

Jasmine stumbled to her feet and shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Yes you are." Riku told her taking a step towards her, not in the mood for any games.

Whipping around, Jasmine yelled out desperately, "Aladdin! Help!"

Riku was instantly behind her; he grabbed her arm and placed his hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle her screaming. He began pulling her away from the edge of the cliff when Jasmine bit down hard on his hand. Yanking it away from her mouth he yelled, "Are you serious?" Pushing her harshly to the ground he summoned dark firaga and shouted, "To hell with the promise!"

With a shriek, Jasmine cowered under her hands, "No wait! I'm sorry, I'll go with you! Please, don't hurt me!"

Clasping his hand, Riku made the sparking mass dispel and sighed; allowing his outburst to seep back into him. Reaching down, he grabbed the Princess' arm and yanked her to her feet. "Let's get moving." He told her sternly as he summoned a corridor.

He paused before entering the corridor, wondering if he should aid Jafar in his fight. He could easily render Jasmine unconscious then jump down the pit; however, with everything Jafar did to Hinata and to him perhaps it was sweet justice that his 'best friend' would be the one to put that pitiful magician in his place. With a smirk he turned his back on everything happening and led Jasmine into the portal.

Jasmine stayed silent and solemnly nodded her head, giving one last glance towards Aladdin before following Riku; biting her lip trying to hold back her tears. She barely noticed the strange surroundings of the misty darkness as she walked beside Riku. Detecting that the tight grip on her arm was greatly loosening, she looked over at Riku. He didn't seem like the type of person capable of doing these horrid things. She thought back to what that Hinata had told her about their past. Their home was destroyed and they were being forced to work for someone. Feeling her own heart sadden by their predicament she whispered, "I'm sorry you had to do this."

Surprised to hear her speak, Riku looked over at Jasmine, "What do you mean?"

Trying to find her voice, she explained, "Hinata told me about your home. I'm sorry."

Riku stayed silent for a minute, trying to figure out how the person he was kidnapping was finding pity in him. It reminded him of something Kairi would do, she always put her friend's needs before hers. They shared a familiar light within them. Shaking the thought away he went back to Jasmine; shrugging, he replied, "There isn't anything I can do about it; just trying to get my friends back."

"Is Hinata alright?" Jasmine asked, as she thought back to everything Hinata did for her. "She went out of her way to keep me safe from Jafar."

Riku stopped walking; he wished Jasmine would stop bringing up Hinata. Shaking his head he admitted, "She was forced to leave."

"Forced to leave?" She repeated in disbelief, "For doing the right thing?"

"For being reckless." Riku clarified, continuing to walk.

"You didn't go with her?" She inquired, surprised he didn't when Hinata had given her the impression that they were rather close.

"I couldn't." He looked away from Jasmine and tightly closed his eyes.

"Why not?" She urged him, wanting to get to the bottom of it. When Riku didn't answer, she realized that he wasn't going to tell her any more information. She looked at him saddened before adding, "She really cared about you."

"I know…" He reluctantly admitted before tightening his grip on her arm again, beginning to get agitated. "Look, just stop talking about Hinata alright? I already have enough to deal with."

Jasmine widened her eyes at Riku by his response before solemnly nodding her head and looking away. They walked in silence for a few more minutes, getting close to the light that led to Hollow Bastion. Jasmine began feeling her heart race as reality once again began to set in that she was being taken from her home. She had no idea what awaited her in the new land. Feeling her throat go dry she asked Riku, "Where are you taking me?"

"A place called Hollow Bastion." Riku informed her, "A woman named Maleficent sent me to get you."

Jasmine shivered and tried to keep her composure, "What is going to happen to me?"

"I don't know." He confessed, avoiding her eyes.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" She prodded, trying to figure out why he thought so differently than Hinata, who had been adamant on keeping her from Maleficent.

"Why do people keep asking me that?" Riku irately mumbled under his breath. Sighing he told her, "Yes, I am. Soon no one will be able to stand in my way."

"That's what it is then… power?" Jasmine guessed, beginning to feel a little sick to her stomach, "Power only corrupts."

"The weak maybe." He corrected, feeling his body spark with specks of darkness. "My heart is too strong. Once I am powerful enough I can keep everyone I care about safe." Smirking at his answer he began to believe his own words; although he vaguely wondered why he was sharing this with Jasmine when he couldn't bear to with Hinata.

They were about to enter the light to Hollow Bastion, when Jasmine whispered barely loud enough for Riku to hear, "If you stay on this path, there may not be any friends left to protect."

Riku glanced over at Jasmine but remained silent as they walked into the light and appeared in the stone tablet room in Hollow Bastion in front of a waiting Maleficent.

She smirked when she saw Jasmine and bowed, "Why your Majesty, it is an honor to welcome you to Hollow Bastion."

Jasmine cowered slightly behind Riku, grabbing his arm with both of her hands; despite him being the one who took her from her home, she felt the safest with him at the moment. "What do you want with me?" She demanded, wishing she could stop her voice from shaking.

Maleficent straightened and motioned her arm towards the door, "If your Majesty would be so kind as to follow me, I will show you everything."

The Princess glanced up at Riku, seemingly asking if he would go with her. Riku was just as curious to why Maleficent wanted Jasmine and nodded his head in response. Taking a few steps forward to follow Maleficent, Hades, who was standing by the projection on the stone, called out to him.

"The old vizier doesn't seem like he is going to make it." Hades pointed out to Riku, "Aren't you supposed to help him out?"

Riku stopped walking and glanced at the projection on the stone. Jafar had somehow turned himself into a genie and was fighting Sora, the white duck, and that guy Aladdin with his full powers. It would be easy for Riku to catch Sora off guard and give Jafar a passing chance; but that would be pointless. He had wanted to kill him himself, but Sora would have to do. Shrugging, Riku continued walking after Maleficent and called behind him, "I thought he said he had it under control? He brought it on himself."

Hades smirked and scoffed, it seemed that Riku was falling even faster than Maleficent had anticipated. Getting rid of his distraction of a girlfriend was just what the doctor ordered for him to accept the darkness. He only hoped he would prove to be as useful as Maleficent was convinced he would be.

As Riku continued walking he felt Jasmine's hands tighten around his arm. Part of him wanted to push her off of him, only Hinata was allowed to touch him; but with how frightened she was he could stand to be her support momentarily. They followed Maleficent out of the dark room into a hallway. Once there, Maleficent spread out her arms and harshly hit her staff on the ground. A green and black mist instantly surrounded them and when it disappeared they found themselves in a completely different room; one that Riku had yet to be to. They stood in a doorway with a red carpet that led into a grand hall. In the center of the floor was the same heart insignia that was on the front of the castle; it was black with a dark red outline. On either side of the symbol were three large golden torches lit with blue flames. At the other end of the room, the red carpet led up two flights of stairs to a second level. Copper pipes protruded from the walls on the second floor and surrounded another heart symbol on the wall; however, inside the heart was an energy that glowed different colors mixing and generating around a bright white orb in its center. Walking further into the room, Riku noticed that along first floor three women statues were inside blue pods implanted into one of the walls while only two were on the other. Bringing a frightened Jasmine along with him, he walked towards one of the women; a pale girl with short black hair and red lips. Her head was down and her eyes closed with a black crystal encompassing her from the waist down. Riku was about to ask Maleficent why there were statues when he noticed the girl's chest slightly rise and fall. She was breathing; she was alive. Riku's eyes widened as he swiftly went to the next statue feeling his heart stop when he saw Alice. There she was, encased in the black crystal unconscious. Hinata was right, they were kidnapping her. Turning around he saw Maleficent standing by an empty pod on the other end of the room and immediately knew what was going to happen to Jasmine. Maleficent caught Riku's look and gave him a knowing nod.

"What have you done to them?" Jasmine asked, horrified to see the girls captured and on display.

"They are each a Princess of Heart, one of seven that are needed to unlock the keyhole of this world." Maleficent explained, motioning to Riku to bring Jasmine to her. Riku took one last look at Alice before following orders; thankful that Hinata wasn't there to see Alice or what was about to happen to Jasmine.

Jasmine tore away from Riku and stood her ground, "What are you talking about? Jafar mentioned a keyhole as well. Why do you need me for it?"

"All you need to know, Princess, is that you will fulfill your part." Maleficent assured her before looking over at Riku, "Bring her to me."

"Riku, don't!" Jasmine pleaded as she attempted to back away from Riku. It was to no avail as he grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards Maleficent. Struggling to get away, she frantically tried to get through to him. "This is wrong! What would Hinata think?"

"Hinata isn't here." He replied, tightening his hold on her arm and ignoring her flailing fists as she tried to loosen his grip. Despite her screaming and struggling, Riku brought the Princess over to Maleficent and placed her inside the empty pod. He watched both intrigued and somewhat disturbed as the black crystal immediately began to form around Jasmine's feet.

"You should be thankful she isn't here." Jasmine advised, causing Riku to look up into her glaring brown eyes. "She would be heart-broken to see the monster you are."

Riku felt a trickle of regret before it was replaced by unfounded rage. Glaring back at Jasmine he bit, "I thought I told you to stop talking about Hinata! You don't know anything about me!" Clenching his hands into fists he looked away and defended, "I'm no monster."

When he wasn't met with any reply, he reluctantly looked back and saw that Jasmine was now like the other women. She was unconscious and covered with the black crystal from the waist down. Riku held his hands in front of him and looked down at them; he had brought Jasmine here on his own. Maybe he was a monster. He knew Hinata would be in disbelief of what he just did to the Princess, but at least he could live with the relief that he fulfilled his promise; he hadn't brought any harm to her. Then Hinata's words came into his mind when he had told her he would never hurt her. She had told him she knew he would never hurt her physically. He may not have hurt Jasmine physically, but he sure did a number on her emotionally; just like he had with Hinata. Clenching his hands he tightly closed his eyes and tried to figure out why he was doing all of these horrible things. Then the rage he was feeling towards himself began to morph into the dark sensation he was becoming dependent on. All of the regret was washed away with the darkness and he immediately remembered why he was following the path he was on.

Turning around, Riku looked back at maleficent as she stood silently awaiting him. He wondered why she hadn't interfered when Jasmine was struggling against him but also didn't want to get into it. All he wanted to do was leave the room and hoped he would never have to see it again. He looked around at the six women along the walls when he remembered Maleficent mentioning seven. Finding his voice he asked, "Where is the seventh?"

Maleficent smiled and began walking towards him, "In Neverland. A young maiden named Wendy."

With the way she said it, Riku had a sick feeling she was leading up to something. Sighing, he concluded, "You want me to find her." Crossing his arms he said, "What about Kairi?"

"Kairi is on a ship called the Jolly Roger." Maleficent explained, walking down the hall towards the other unconscious princesses. "When we return to Hades you will accompany a man named James Hook to retrieve the maiden Wendy and to see your beloved friend."

"You're expecting me to still do your dirty work once I get Kairi back?" Riku asked.

"How do you expect to grow your darkness without my instruction?" She baited, stopping to look at a princess with long blonde hair in a blue dress. When Riku was silent she continued, "There is something you also need to complete before retrieving Kairi."

"Something else?" Riku asked confused. He had just helped them take over an entire world and kidnapped a princess. That alone should have been more than enough to get Kairi back.

"Doing this may prove essential to Kairi's survival." Maleficent told him, turning back to face him. Seeing Riku's eyes widen she explained, "Inside a large monstrous creature is a young wooden puppet that has been given the breath of life. His heart may be the key to saving Kairi."

"What happened to her?" Riku asked, feeling his heart fill with fear and worry. If something happened to Kairi he knew it was ultimately his fault. He would save her, no matter what it took.

"She lost her heart." Maleficent told him plainly.

"What?" Riku looked up at her wide eyed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That puppet's heart is unique and powerful. It might just be enough to bring Kairi a new heart." She explained.

Riku looked towards Jasmine as she stood seemingly peaceful, unaware of all the turmoil around her. He wished he was in her place so he wouldn't have to deal with the confusion inside him. After everything he had been doing lately, taking the heart from an object that wasn't supposed to be living in the first place didn't seem like a far stretch. He had to do everything he could to save Kairi; but briefly wondered what Hinata would have to say about it. No doubt she would have some idealistic notion that they would find another more peaceful way to get Kairi her heart back. Shaking his head, he almost wished he could have Hinata's point of view; but he didn't. There wasn't time to find another way, it was now or never. Looking back at Maleficent he told her, "Alright, when do I leave?"

Maleficent smirked as she approached Riku. "You shall depart shortly after we return to Hades. James Hook will be awaiting your arrival to take you to Monstro and Kairi." Not wanting to teleport again, she began walking out of the room to make her way back to where Captain Hook and Hades were awaiting them.

Before following Maleficent, Riku took one last look at the women unconscious around the room. He had put two of them in here and was about to help with the seventh. Doing so was growing the darkness inside him but he couldn't shake the empty feeling inside him that was beginning to house his regret. As much as he was convinced that he needed more power, seeing the innocent women in custody by his hands was unnerving. He could just see Hinata trying to find a way to break them out and could hear her voice in his head, telling him that all of it was wrong; that they would find another way to save Kairi. The thought of Hinata made his heart sink as he looked up at Jasmine beside him. "I'm sorry" He whispered, even though he was certain she couldn't hear him he still had to say it. "I'll set things right. Once I have the Keyblade everything will be fine." He suddenly felt foolish for confiding in Jasmine, especially since she wasn't conscious, but felt validated all the same. Turning around, he calmed his nerves and followed after Maleficent ready to do whatever it took to save Kairi.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! Next up is Hinata on the beginning of her journey alone. Please let me know what you think! I really appreciate feedback. *****


	31. Where To?

Chapter 31

Hinata sat against the door of the gummi ship with her face planted in her hands. She had yet to move from when the vessel had departed and it was just reaching space. Riku was back in Hollow Bastion and she had a gut feeling that he was only going to fall farther without her. She couldn't believe he actually sent her away; she dearly wished he would just tell her why he was; she felt she at least deserved that much. Her eyes burned with how much she had been crying and it was driving her crazy. Never in her life had she broken down like this and the fact that it was done by Riku made it only worse. Sniffling, she lifted her face and hit her head lightly on the door behind her. She hated feeling so vulnerable and helpless; but she didn't know what else to do. Looking around the ship from where she sat she spotted her swords on top of her regular clothes. Everything really had been set up for her to leave on her own. A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that Maleficent had been planning on her leaving. She and Riku had walked right into her trap. If only they hadn't fallen into Maleficent's clutches, things would have been different. Taking a deep breath, Hinata attempted to let her overwhelming emotions seep back into her; trying to lock them away. If she was going to be on her own now, she would need to pull herself together.

It was time for her to figure out what to do. Standing up, she felt her knees slightly shake but supported herself by leaning on the wall. She walked over to the bed where Riku had placed the black device and sat down. Grabbing the device she wondered if it would be possible to call her old device. If it was still operational maybe she could find a way to get it back. She wasn't sure why she would need to retrieve it but it would at least give her something to do. Examining the device in her hands she tried to figure out how she was supposed to call someone with it. It was a square contraption with a small screen and a red button under the screen. Along the top of it were three separate black buttons and a clip on the back so it could be attached to clothes. Hinata had answered calls on it before, but had no idea what any of the other buttons did. She was never one to be very intuitive when it came to any sort of technology; so she began pressing the buttons one at a time but nothing happened. Getting impatient she pressed all of them at the same time and was surprised when the screen began flickering different colors. For a moment she worried she had broken it when the screen cleared up to what looked like the inside of another gummi ship. There were three tall white chairs and glass domed the area giving a gorgeous view of space. Hinata could hear faint voices in the background but couldn't make out what they were saying, so she decided to speak up.

"Um… Hello?" she squeaked, surprised by her own weak voice. Clearing her throat she tried again, "Is anyone there?"

The voices stopped when they heard her speak and Hinata felt her heart begin to race; not sure what to expect. Her eyes widened when she saw a small creature appeared on the screen. It had brown fur with tan fur surrounding its eyes and chest; and wore some sort of uniform with an outline of a mouse on the front. Two buck teeth stuck out from the mouth under a big red nose as it examined Hinata through the screen.

In a squeaky voice the creature called, "Hey Chip, looks like the device is workin'!"

Hinata heard small scurrying footprints when another small similar creature with a black nose appeared beside the other. Looking at Hinata, the other creature smiled and chirped, "Well what do you know Dale? It finally works!"

"Are you… chipmunks?" Hinata asked, getting a good look at them.

The black nose chipmunk stood straight and proudly saluted, "Yep! We are gummi engineers! Chip…"

"And Dale!" The other red nosed one jumped in.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at them, they were so cute. "I'm Hinata." She introduced herself. "Wait, you're gummi engineers? Whose gummi ship are you on?"

"Hey who are you talking to?" A familiar voice came from Chip and Dale's side. Hinata's eyes lit up when she saw Goofy's face appear on the screen as he knelt down by Chip and Dale.

"Goofy!" Hinata exclaimed surprised.

"Gawrsh, you're Hinata!" Goofy remembered then looked confused, "Where's that feller' Riku?"

She sighed, "It's a long story. Hey, is Sora with you?"

Goofy shook his head, "Sora and Donald are down in Agrabah with some feller' named Aladdin."

"They're in Agrabah?" Hinata repeated stunned, "Why aren't you with them?"

Rubbing his head, Goofy explained, "Oh well, I hit my head pretty hard and they sent me back to the ship to rest up. Sure glad I was so I could talk with ya!" Then noticing Hinata's red eyes he asked, "Are ya feeling alright? You don't look so good. You 'oughta get some rest."

"Like I said, it's a long story." She told him before asking, "By chance do you know how I could get my ship to Agrabah? I'm kind of on my own and don't know where to go."

"Gawrsh, I don't know…" Goofy began.

"I won't travel with all of you if you really don't want me to," She interrupted, "I just need to talk with Sora and tell him some stuff."

Goofy looked over at Chip and Dale and shrugged, "I guess it's alright then."

"We won't be in Agrabah for much longer." Chip cut in jumping up and down, "So I'll send you the coordinates to the next world we are going to."

"You can do that?" Hinata asked.

Chip and Dale laughed before Dale cut in, "Sure we can! Chip and I are all sorts of tech savvy."

Hinata smiled, "Well alright, that would be really helpful. Thank you." As the chipmunks scurried off to get everything ready, Hinata asked, "Goofy, how did you get the device?"

"Uh, well after ya left us in Traverse Town Sora found it." He explained, "We tried to figure out how to use it but it didn't seem like it worked. Not until you called."

"I don't even know how I called you, honestly." She admitted then sighed relieved, "I'm really glad it worked though. How is Sora doing?"

"Great!" He exclaimed, "He's been finding them keyholes like it ain't nobody's business!"

Hinata let out a small laugh, "Well good for him. It will be good to see all of you in person."

"Sure will!" He agreed, "Sora will be all sorts of excited to see you!"

Dale's voice could be heard off screen, "Hey Goofy, could ya bring that contraption over here?"

"Why sure!" Goofy laughed and picked up the device to walk it towards the chipmunks.

As he walked, Hinata could see the surrounding gummi ship. It was a lot different than the one she was on. The main cockpit was completely glass and Hinata could spot some stairs leading to a lower level; probably where all of the beds and other amenities were. Reaching a control board where Chip and Dale were chatting and jumping away, Goofy placed the device on the navigation. Chip set up the device and gave a quick smile at Hinata before scurrying away to grab a blue wire. After Dale pressed a few buttons in the navigation, Chip opened a small hatch on the device and plugged in the blue wire.

Hinata looked confused as random letters and numbers began scrolling across her screen; then she asked, "How did you do that?" Her eyes involuntarily glazed over as Chip and Dale began talking rapidly in their engineering lingo and after a minute she shook her head, "Never mind, forget I asked. How do I put this in my navigation?"

"On the left side of your device should be a small hatch that if you press down on it will click open." Chip explained, waiting for Hinata to look for it. Once she found it he continued, "There should also be a blue wire near your navigation in your ship's cockpit! Plug that into the hatch and it will set course for Atlantica!"

"Atlantica," Hinata repeated, "Is that where you guys are going next? What type of world is it?"

Both Chip and Dale shrugged and spoke in unison, "We have no idea!"

Hinata smiled, "Well thank you both. I should probably go plug this in."

"Happy flying!" Chip and Dale told her waving goodbye.

Goofy picked the device back up and assured Hinata, "I'll let Sora know you called. We'll see you in Atlantica!"

"Thanks Goofy." She nodded her head in gratitude, "I'll see you."

With that she cut the call and went towards the cockpit to follow Chip's instruction. He was right, as soon as she plugged it in, the navigation lit up and the ship instantly began moving. She plopped herself down on one of the cockpit chairs and felt a huge weight lift off of her shoulders. In a few hours she would be able to meet up with Sora; she wouldn't be alone for long. With everything that had been happening she decided it would be best to tell Sora everything she knew about Riku and Maleficent. Maybe he would save Jasmine since he was on Agrabah, and maybe even run into Riku to talk some sense into him. A smile spread on her face as she told herself that everything would turn out just fine. After she saw Sora and told him everything that's been going on, maybe they could find a way to get back to Riku and get him away from Maleficent. Getting out of her chair she walked back to where her clothes were folded on the table. In a swift motion she picked them up and decided to take a shower. It was time to wash away all the negativity of the day.

Walking out of the shower cleaned and refreshed, Hinata looked out of a nearby window and wondered what she should do to pass the time until she reached Atlantica. She decided to rummage through all of the cabinets and drawers on the ship to see what they held. On previous trips she never bothered to look since Riku was with her to help her stay occupied. She paused a moment as she opened a cabinet, thinking of the time she spent with Riku on the ship. It had been the most relaxing time they had together since they had been off the island. She wished he was with her right now. Shaking her head she went back to her rummaging and was mostly greeted with empty shelves; except for a tan satchel with one green journal inside it under one of the beds. Sitting down on the bed she examined it. It reminded her of the one Kairi had let her use to write down her memories in; something she wished she had to look through, especially with the recent vision she had in Prydain. Sighing, she opened the journal to find it completely blank, spare for a pen attached to the side.

"Why would there be an empty journal?" She wondered aloud, flicking through every page carefully to make sure it was actually empty. Taking the pen from the side once she was certain there was nothing inside the journal, she clicked it open and shrugged, "Might as well fill it myself."

Bringing the pen down to begin writing, she decided to fill the pages with everything she had seen and done. Especially the vision she had in Prydain. She didn't want to forget a moment of anything that happened no matter how painful. With how she had slowly forgotten her childhood she worried it would happen to her again. At least if she wrote it down she would have something to fall back on. Before she knew it hours had passed and the intercom of the ship was alerting her that she had arrived at Atlantica. Finishing her sentence in the journal she closed it and placed it inside the satchel. Putting the satchel over her head to rest across her shoulder, she walked towards the cockpit to get a good look at the world below.

She stood wide eyed at the sight before her and said in disbelief, "It's all water… How am I supposed to land in that?"

Without looking away from Atlantica below her she took off the satchel, deciding that the journal probably wouldn't do well in a world full of water. She placed her hands on her hips and wondered why Sora would be coming here. Shaking her head, she turned to grab her swords. Once she grabbed them, she clipped the black device to her vest and got ready to beam down to the planet below.

"I guess I'll find out what I'm getting myself into." She sighed before beaming down.

As the bright beaming light surrounded her she tightly closed her eyes. Moisture suddenly surrounded her entire body making her open her eyes in confusion. She gasped as she realized that she was completely under water and what was even stranger was that she could breathe normally. Hinata attempted to take a few steps forward when her legs didn't move. Looking down she let a small scream, her legs were no longer legs but a long white fish tail. Her midriff was once again bare as two light blue clam shells covered her chest.

"Am I a mermaid?" Hinata asked herself in disbelief. Mermaids were creatures she had read about back on the islands, but they were supposed to be a myth.

Looking up, Hinata began examining her surroundings. She seemed to be under the sea in a small grotto covered with various underwater plants. Seven large shells lay flat on the ground in the room; three on the right and four on the left side of the room. Inside each shell was a pillow and blanket; making it look as if each shell served as a bed. On the far side of the grotto bedroom was a row of round mirrors along a stone counter area with different jewelry and makeup. Next to the mirrors stood an arched doorway with draped pink sea flowers and seaweed covering the entrance. Struggling to turn around with the large tail, Hinata turned to look out the large hole that looked out at the surrounding ocean. The sight left her breathless. Colorful fish swam in schools through coral and rays of sunbeams that broke through the ocean's surface. Everything seemed peaceful and Hinata began to wish Riku was there with her. He would have loved seeing a place like this; although she was sure he would had a thing or two to say about being turned into a merman. The thought of him getting flustered trying to swim with some sort of fish tail caused Hinata to stifle a laugh.

"Who are you and what are you doing in royal chambers?" A woman's voice sternly ordered Hinata from behind.

Hinata froze, she briefly thought of trying to dart out into the surrounding ocean but with how inexperienced she was with her new tail she knew she wouldn't make it far before being caught. Slowly, she turned around to see a group of mermaids staring at her. The front mermaid seemed to be the oldest as she crossed her arms, green eyes glaring as the others huddled behind her. Her tail fin was a dark orange with matching shells and a tall five pronged crown atop her light brown hair.

When Hinata didn't answer right away, the front mermaid ordered one of the girls behind her, "Aquata, go alert Father there is another intruder."

A mermaid with a yellow fin and green shells slowly backed away before nodding her head and swimming away to follow the instructions.

"Wait!" Hinata finally found her voice and called out, "I'm not an intruder. At least I didn't mean to be."

"Then what are you doing with those weapons?" The front girl asked her.

"I uh…" Hinata looked down at her blades in her hands wishing she could have something like Soul Eater where she could just summon them rather than having to carry them out in the open. She didn't have any more time to further explain as the mermaids suddenly got frightened faces and began to shriek. Hinata gave them a confused look until she heard the familiar sound of Heartless appearing. Whipping around, a little faster than anticipated with the water swishing through her tail, Hinata readied her swords. "Stay behind me!" She yelled back to the other girls. "I'll take care of these guys."

The three Heartless in front of her were like none of the other ones she had ever seen. They were shaped as if they were jellyfish but the glowing eyes and red heart outline on their head gave them blatantly away. Hinata stood ready for their attacks trying to figure out how she was going to maneuver in the water when she had trouble just turning around but she was just going to have to manage. The middle enemy plunged towards her and Hinata bent backwards, surprised at how much easier it was to do than when she was on land. Twirling out of the way she sliced at its jellyfish legs with one of her blades and stabbed her other sword right in the center of another enemy. Both of them instantly disintegrated but were replaced by two smaller forms of the same Heartless.

Hinata attempted to swim backwards a bit to create some distance between them and complained, "What? You can multiply now? That's just unfair."

Now having to fight twice as many enemies, Hinata took a deep breath and dived towards all of them. After several minutes of awkward attacks and defenses from trying to gain her composure in the water, all of the Heartless were gone; leaving small green orbs and clear bubbles for Hinata to take for herself. She still had no idea what the bubbles were for, but figured she could ask Sora when she saw him.

Trying to gain back her breath, Hinata clasped her blades back together to form a single sword before reluctantly turning around to face the mermaids. She awkwardly smiled at them when they just stared with their mouths gaped open. Rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand she spoke up, "Are you all alright?"

The four mermaids behind the front girl stared at Hinata for a few silent seconds before instantaneously getting big smiles and pushing past the mermaid in front to surround Hinata.

"That was simply amazing!" A brunette girl with a light blue fin and shells exclaimed.

"Finally some good entertainment!" Another said, with short blonde hair and a purple fin. "To think, a mermaid that can fight! Wait until Daddy sees you!"

"Um… thank you?" Hinata replied, taken aback by the sudden attention. "Have you seen any… Ack!" She was interrupted when a platinum blonde mermaid with a dark red fin suddenly tightly hugged her. Keeping her hands awkwardly in the air, she felt her cheeks lightly darken as she tried to figure out how to react.

"Sorry! You seemed like you needed a hug!" The blonde told her as she pulled back.

"Indeed! If you ask me, you need a plankton extract and sea salt face mask!" A mermaid with black hair and a pink crown on her head pulled on Hinata's arm, seemingly trying to drag her towards the mirrors, "It rejuvenates the skin and it won't clog your pores! It will fix you right up!"

"No, really I'm fine." Hinata tried to talk her way out of the group. It seemed that even after a shower, her worn emotional state was still evident. "Just trying to find someone named Sora. Any of you seen him?"

"Nope, sorry!" They replied each in their own ways; distracted as they had successfully pulled Hinata to their mirrors and were rummaging through their things to make her over.

"Sisters, you need to keep your distance from her." The other mermaid that had been cautious of Hinata from the beginning broke in, "Just because she took out those things does not mean she's trustworthy."

"Oh lighten up Attina!" the short haired blonde spoke up as she put a string of blue pearls around Hinata's neck. "She needs to look nice if she's going to see Father."

"Wait, who am I seeing?" Hinata broke in; trying to catch her mind up with everything the girls were putting on her and doing. As the girls continued to bicker and fuss over her she looked in the mirror in front of her and immediately saw what the girls were trying to cover up. As much as she was trying to convince herself that she was holding together her eyes seemed empty and her usually clear skin was still blotchy from her earlier crying. She wondered how long she was going to look like this. "Ow!" She yelped as the girls began pulling at her hair, trying to put it into some up do.

"Your hair looks just like Ariel's!" The black-haired mermaid spoke up as she mixed a face mask for Hinata, "I'm Alana by the way."

Hinata winced as the girls pulled and twisted her hair, wondering how she got herself in their beauty clutches before replying, "I'm Hinata, and I really should get going."

She tried to get up and swim away but the girls grabbed her arms and protested. "Oh we couldn't let you leave in the state you're in! You don't look like you even know how to swim!"

"What is the meaning of this?!" A booming male voice burst into the room making the entire group of girls gasp.

Hinata whipped her head to look towards the doorway to see a large merman with a long flowing white beard holding a long golden trident. He glared at Hinata and the surrounding mermaids as Attina the oldest, stood beside him with her arms crossed.

The girls lined in front of Hinata and bowed as the brunette mermaid spoke up, "Father, this girl Hinata saved up from those creatures."

Hinata peeked over their shoulders at the merman glowering in front of her. So he was their father, didn't exactly seem like the type of person that would parent these quirky girls.

"Yeah, so we were just repaying her with a makeover!" The platinum blonde explained.

"She really needs it!" The short-haired blonde whispered loudly, making Hinata roll her eyes and feel slightly embarrassed.

"And we couldn't just make her leave," Alana elbowed her short-haired sister and defended Hinata, "She doesn't swim very well."

The man waved his hand and his daughter reluctantly swam away to let their father see their victim. Hinata gulped as her approached her, waiting to see how he was going to react to her.

Crossing his large muscled arms he told her firmly, "You should return to your home world. Atlantica does not take kindly to off-world visitors." Seeing the confused and shocked look Hinata gave him, he explained, "I am King Triton, the ruler of this ocean. If there is any off-world activity I am immediately aware of it."

"Have you had any other visitors?" She decided to ask, "I'm here looking for a boy named Sora. I'll leave as soon as I find him."

"I'm afraid you are wasting your time." Triton told her, "There have not been any other off-world visitors."

"He must not be here yet," Hinata noted before adding, "I know he is on his way here, can I just stay here until he arrives?" Looking away she finished, "I don't have anywhere else to go."

Triton frowned and looked over at his daughters. Attina, his oldest, was patiently awaiting his decision; while his other daughters were each staring with their big puppy dog eyes. Sighing, he uncrossed his arms, "Alright, but only because you protected my daughters. You will stay with them and continue to protect them until that boy, Sora, arrives."

His daughters instantly squealed and rushed to tackle hug their father, even Attina let out a smile. Hinata bowed her head, "Thank you, I'll keep them safe." In the back of her mind however, she wished she could have been put somewhere else. Who knew what Triton's daughters would make her look like by the time Sora arrived.

Triton nodded his head in acknowledgment before addressing his daughters, "Attina and Aquata, both of you teach Hinata how to swim properly. If she is going to protect my daughters she needs to learn."

"Father." Attina and Aquata bowed and accepted their task.

With that, he waited until all of his daughters were off of him then he looked among them. "Have any of you seen Ariel?"

"Probably out exploring with Flounder like usual." Alana told him, already getting back to twisting Hinata's hair into an intricate braid. "Your hair is so long!"

King Triton groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I sent Sebastian to keep an eye on her. Oh I do hope she's safe, especially with those creatures running amuck."

"Heartless," Hinata spoke up, trying to keep her face neutral despite the pain of Alana tugging her hair painfully. "Those creatures are called Heartless. They are all over different worlds."

Triton nodded his head, "I was afraid that's what they were." Sighing he said under his breath, "Next thing you know the Keyblade will be here."

Hinata arched an eyebrow at his words but stayed silent. With the disdain in his voice about the Keyblade she figured it would be best to keep Sora's secret for the time being. As King Triton took his leave, Hinata looked back at the mirror in front of her as Alana began braiding in some white flowers into her hair. She sighed, wondering what she was going to look like at the end of this.

"So you're from another world?" The platinum blonde mermaid spoke up sitting in a stool next to Hinata and tightening her own ponytail, "That's so exciting! Ariel would be jealous. I'm Arista by the way."

"Not as exciting as you might think." Hinata admitted, "Sometimes I wish I could stay in one place."

"Adrina," Alana called her short-haired sister, "Finish her hair, I need to start on her facial."

Adrina traded places with Alana and asked, "So what's your home like?"

Hinata thought about where her home was. She couldn't remember where she was born; although based on the vision she had about her mother and Aiko she wondered if Hollow Bastion was actually her home. Even if it was though, after everything that happened there with Riku and Maleficent she wouldn't count it as that. Then there was Destiny Islands. She supposed that could be her home; but it wasn't there anymore. Looking into the mirror, her face still bare before Alana was about lather it with her facial mixture, she realized that there wasn't anywhere for her to call home. Taking a deep breath she whispered, "I don't have one."

All of the girls paused, silent from Hinata's answer. Alana put down the bowl of her facial mixture and noted, "Well, maybe we can convince Father to let you stay here."

"Thanks, but I have things I need to do. Someone needs my help." Hinata told them, giving a small thankful smile.

"That Sora boy you keep mentioning?" Attina finally spoke up as she had been leaning against the door. "And hurry up with your make over girls; we need to start her swimming lessons."

Hinata shook her head, "No, although, I'm hoping I can help him too. It's someone else." Looking down at her hands as she held her blades; she tightened her hands around their hilt. "…Someone special to me."

"No wonder you look the way you do." Alana noted, finally lathering on the facial despite the discontented look she got from Hinata. "With all that stuff going on I would be a wreck! But don't you worry, we'll have you all fixed up in no time at all."

Hinata stayed silent as she allowed the girls to finish their work on her. She wasn't sure why she was letting them do it; but she realized that she didn't really have the will to stop them. With everything happening she could stand a few minutes of primping. Several minutes passed as the girls chatted and worked away on her. They avoided asking her any more questions seeing that she was having a hard time. Little by little, Hinata felt herself relax and actually began to enjoy being dolled up and vaguely wished that Riku would be there to see the finished product. That outfit from Agrabah was the first time she had ever 'dressed up' and he really seemed to enjoy that. She wondered what their relationship would be like whenever they saw each other again. As much as she tried to deny it they were on opposite sides now. He was, for whatever reason, wanting to follow Maleficent. She couldn't understand why he was when everything they were having to do was completely wrong. It didn't make any sense to her how he could have changed so much so quickly. Shutting her eyes, she felt her emotions threatening to bubble forth as she felt in her gut that things wouldn't work out the way she wanted them to. Without her at Riku's side, who knew how far he would be willing to go to get whatever he was wanting. Sighing, Hinata shoved the feelings and thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to wallow. She would make things right between them, her and Sora would find Riku and bring him to his senses. Then things would go back to the way they were. She knew they would.

"All done!" The girls exclaimed, bringing Hinata out of her thoughts.

Hinata looked up into the mirror and widened her eyes. Her long red hair was braided down her back with different white flowers intertwined throughout and the facial from Alana really did clear up her face. Light makeup and red lipstick adorned her face, something she wasn't used to in the slightest. Hinata gave a small smile, she actually really like the way they made her look. "Thank you. I actually… really love it."

The girls grinned and gave each other high fives. Adrina lifted Hinata's braid and said, "We will have to show this to Ariel since they have the same color. If she would let us do her hair like this she would look so pretty!"

Reaching back to touch her hair, Hinata was thankful they had put it back; when she had been fighting the Heartless her hair kept getting in her eyes. She wondered who this Ariel girl was that they kept mentioning. With how King Triton talked about her she imagined she was another sister of theirs.

Attina swam towards Hinata and placed her hands around her arm, "Alright, now that that's finally done we can get started on your swimming lessons."

"Thank goodness," Hinata let out a sigh of relief that she was going to do something, when she noticed she said that out loud, "I mean… let's get started!"

The other girls just giggled in return and followed as Attina and Aquata grabbed Hinata's arms to lead her out to open water. They swam partially ahead of Hinata but kept one of their hands around Hinata's arm. Hinata studied the way they moved their tails as they seemingly glided through the water trying to figure out how they did it. Lifting her own tail she attempted copying their movements, she was never very good at swimming even when she had legs. She was surprised when the water swished through her tail propelling her forward and she found herself wishing she could have swam like this when Riku had tried 'teaching' her how to swim back on the islands. Her face flushed when she remembered him falling back laughing when he had thrown her into the ocean from the paopu tree. She had thought he was being romantic when he had scooped her up in his arms but then he walked towards the edge of the ledge and tossed her off. She had shrieked once she hit the water and scrambled to get to the ladder to get back onto land; hitting him in the arm when she made it back to the tree and scolded him as he laughed until she eventually joined in. Thinking back on it she couldn't help but feel sad, she hadn't seen Riku laugh like that in a long time.

"This should be a good spot to teach her!" Aquata exclaimed, causing Hinata to snap out of her memories and look around.

They were in a large courtyard surrounded by tall stone pillars. Different sea life and shells lay along the sea floor as fish swam peacefully through the water. Hinata spun around a little confused, "Everyone seems weirdly calm when there are Heartless attacking."

"Father's royal swordfish guards are keeping a majority of those creatures out of the palace. The ones that attacked us when you arrived was the first breach." Attina informed her and apparently the other sisters as they seemed just as clueless as Hinata. Turning to face Hinata, Attina told her, "So you can learn without having to worry about a surprise attack."

Hinata nodded in acknowledgment and held her blades at her side. Even though there weren't supposed to be any Heartless she was going to keep her guard up. The next few hours passed swiftly as Attina and Aquata began teaching Hinata the basics of swimming. Before they knew it, Hinata had gotten a fairly good hold of it and was even able to perform what they called a dolphin kick that would give her a quick burst of speed through the water.

Seeing that Hinata was getting the hang of it, Adrina suggested, "We should have a race! See how well Hinata can really swim!"

Her sisters all seemed to agree and like the idea. They looked expectantly at Hinata to see what she thought they should do. She smiled and nodded, "That sounds fun!"

The girls grinned and chatted as they set up the rules of the race. Hinata watched them set everything up and gave the area a quick once over looking for any Heartless. She couldn't help but wonder what was keeping Sora. Chip had said they wouldn't be in Agrabah much longer so they should have been in Atlantica by now. She hoped that nothing bad had happened to them and tried not to worry; but the longer she had to wait the more anxious she got. She forced a smile when Alana waved her over so they could begin the race.

As Hinata approached, Aquata explained the rules. "Alright girls, this race will consist of two laps! The first one will be a simple circle around the courtyard and the second you will have to weave in between the columns. Attina will stay here and be the judge for the winner. Any questions?"

The other sisters swam in place waiting impatiently for the race to begin; Hinata got the impression they had races quite frequently. They looked at her, waiting to see if she had any questions in which she just quickly shook her head. It seemed simple enough. Seeing that everything was set, the five sisters lined up at the starting point as Hinata gave Attina her blades to hold until after the race. Attina took the blades and held up her hand to signal the beginning of the race.

"Are you ready?" Attina asked, getting nods from every racer and waiting until Hinata was in position, "Alright, go!"

Waving her arm down the girls sped past her. Hinata gave her dolphin kick and tried to keep up with the other girls. It was tough as they were obviously more experienced than her; but her competitive spirit was kicking in as she pushed herself to the limit. By the end of the first lap she was third out of the sixth and made her way to weave through the columns when she heard Aquata who was in first let out a shriek.

"Hinata!" She screamed, "It's those creatures!"

The other girls began panicking, swiftly swimming away as Hinata swam as fast as she could towards Aquata; getting between her and a Heartless jellyfish right before it struck her. Hinata was regretfully without her swords and instead hit the enemy on top of its head. "Aquata, get back with your sisters!" She ordered Aquata.

"You need your weapons!" Alana called out to her, grabbing them from Attina and was about to bring them to Hinata when she stopped her.

"You need to stay back! Get you and your sisters out of here!" Hinata assured her, trying to figure out how she was going to manage without her dao swords. Dodging one of the tentacles of the enemy, she glanced behind her and saw the six sisters swimming to safety. Looking back at the large Heartless in front of her, Hinata shrugged at it, "Just you and me now buddy."

It just stared at her as it moved its tentacles through the sea water. Hinata felt her pace quicken as she considered her options. She had never fought a Heartless without her weapons before. Getting an idea, she slowly inched towards a column until she was right in front of it. The enemy followed her movement, trying to wait for the moment to strike; the moment she paused in her movements in front of the column it dove towards her. Hinata smirked as it did exactly as she hoped and waited until the last possible second before weaving to the other side of the pillar, causing the Heartless to ram into the stone.

Hinata laughed as the Heartless slowly backed up and shook its head seemingly trying to clear it. "Oops, you should probably know there's a pillar there." She laughed harder as it tried to swat its tentacles at her only to completely miss her. She didn't know why she was antagonizing it so, for some reason it was bringing her quite a lot of enjoyment. As she was laughing she didn't notice it inching closer to her. She lifted her head just in time as it was about to grab her with its long arms. Making use of her dolphin kick, she sped upwards and smacked its head with her white tail. It shook from her kick and suddenly popped into three smaller Heartless, making Hinata groan "I forgot you could do that."

She watched as the three smaller enemies darted about, much faster than their much larger counterpart. There was no way she could pull the same trick on them. She winced and grabbed her shoulder as one of them managed to get behind her and shock her bare skin with its tentacles. Swimming downwards she tried to find something along the sea floor that she could use as a makeshift weapon; suddenly wishing she had just let Alana give her the blades back in the first place. Finding a large pointy conch shell she scooped it up and threw it like a spear at a swiftly approaching Heartless. She pumped her fist above her head with a grin as it was a successful throw and pierced right through its skin. Her victory was short lived as another enemy swooped around her left and stung her waist, causing her to grimace before trying to swim away. She needed to pay more attention and for some reason that was a lot harder to do under water than it was on land.

"Hinata!" Sora's voice rang through the water, making Hinata spin around with a smile. He swam towards her with a dark gray shark tail holding his Keyblade weapon proudly. "We've been looking for you!" He told her with a grin when they approached.

"Talk to her later Sora!" Donald quacked as he swam up to them. Hinata put a hand over her mouth, trying to keep in her laughter seeing that Donald was now half octopus. "We need to take care of these guys first!"

Sora readied his Keyblade, "Oh, right!"

Giving Hinata a quick smile he swam expertly towards the other Heartless taking them and other appearing enemies out with ease. Hinata watched them fight, hugging her swelling waist, relieved they had finally arrived; Goofy was now a sea turtle but it didn't seem to faze his shield fighting in the slightest and another female mermaid fought at their side. Seeing her long flowing red hair, Hinata assumed that was the Ariel girl the other mermaids kept comparing her to. She had a long green tail and purple sea shells. Fighting with only her tail and magic spells she actually held her own rather well. Within a few minutes all of the Heartless had been dealt with and the entire group finally had a moment to breathe. Hinata took the lull in fighting to approach them.

"So you guys look different." Hinata mentioned with a smile as she neared them. Looking at Donald she laughed, "I have to ask, why are you an octopus?"

Donald crossed his arms, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!"

Hinata giggled a little but then went back to Sora, "What took you guys so long? Did something happen in Agrabah?"

Sora rubbed the back of his head, "No, Agrabah went alright, except Princess Jasmine went missing."

"You mean they got her?" Hinata interrupted, before slumping her shoulders. "Did you see Riku while you were there?"

Looking at her confused, Sora told her, "Not in Agrabah, but on our way here we got swallowed by this huge whale called Monstro. We saw Riku there." Pausing a moment he asked, "Who's they? Do you know where Jasmine is?"

Hinata widened her eyes at the mention of them being swallowed by a whale and seeing Riku of all people inside it. "You saw Riku inside a whale?" She asked in disbelief, before placing her hands on her hips and sighing, "It looks like we both have a lot to talk about."

"Ariel?" Aquata's voice interrupted their conversation. Aquata, along with all of her sisters peeked from around a pillar, getting smiles on their faces as they saw Ariel and Hinata safe. Reluctantly, they swam from their hiding spot and approached the group.

"Father has been worried sick about you!" Attina scolded Ariel as she approached, "Where have you been?"

Ariel shrugged, "Oh you know… exploring." Then spinning around she motioned towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy, "Flounder, Sebastian, and I found these three! They saved me from those creatures!" Turning back towards her sisters she asked, "Do you know where Daddy is? I want him to meet them."

Attina looked at the three Ariel showed her and gave a quick glance at Hinata. It was obvious they were the ones she had been waiting for. Nodding her head she turned to lead them to Triton. "He is in the throne room as usual."

Ariel beamed back at Sora before swimming after Attina. The other girls swarmed Hinata, asking if she was alright and checking her stings. Alana gave the blades back to Hinata and she took them gratefully. Giving a large relieved sigh, Hinata told them, "Thank you. I'm fine. I'm just glad you're all safe." Looking over at Sora, Donald, and Goofy she continued, "I'm glad all of you are safe too. I was beginning to worry." Pausing she looked down at her blades when she remembered Sora mentioning something that worried her. "Is Riku alright?"

Sora sent a look towards Donald and Goofy as they took the hint and swam ahead of them after Ariel. Uncharacteristically seeming downright depressed, Sora told her, "Like you said, we have a lot to talk about."

Hinata felt her heart sink, something told her she wasn't going to like what Sora was going to tell her. "Riku…" She whispered under her breath, "What happened to you?"

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! So Hinata is meeting up with Sora for a little bit. Hooray! Next chapter is back to Riku right after he finishes his mission in Monstro. I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter; please let me know what you think! *****


	32. Exploring Neverland

Chapter 32

Riku walked through the Corridor of Darkness back to the Jolly Roger. He had just escaped a large Heartless inside Monstro. The entire mission had been a huge failure and it seemed the only thing he accomplished was wasting time. He was surprised he had seen Sora inside there. Of all the places to run into him that had to be the most random one. It was strange talking with him again and even fighting along-side him to get that puppet back was unexpected. If Sora hadn't shown up he might have been able to bring that puppet back for Kairi; but as usual, Sora had to mess it up with that Keyblade of his and his 'conscience'. Riku had offered Sora the chance to join him and all he did in response was try to fight him! The thought of it both angered and confused him. He didn't understand why both Sora and Hinata, two people he considered close friends, would reject him like that; both of them convinced that he was on the wrong side. Maybe he was on the wrong side, but at least he was getting the power to save Kairi. All they were doing was aimlessly running around with no idea where Kairi even was. Feeling his mess of emotions calm, exhaustion began running over him. He hadn't slept in a few days, not since on the gummi ship with Hinata. Even with his worn state, he knew it would be a near miracle for him to sleep. Shaking his head, he tried to keep himself focused. Once he got back to the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook was going to sail towards Neverland so they could find Wendy. He had to be prepared for anything.

Entering the light at the end of the corridor, he appeared in Hook's ship quarters. The walls and flooring were wood planking and multi-paned windows lined the room. A bright red and gold rug lay on the floor under a wooden desk and red cushioned chair. On either ends of the room were long red cushioned benches where Kairi laid unconscious on top of one. Riku walked over to Kairi and knelt beside her. She had been in that state since he had first come aboard the ship and had a feeling she wasn't going to change any time soon. Maleficent wasn't going to give him any more information on her condition until he retrieved Wendy. Standing he crossed his arms and began to feel frustrated, he was going to continue doing her missions even after he got Kairi so he didn't know why she insisted on making him wait.

"Oh good, you're finally back." A thick accented voice came from behind Riku as Captain Hook entered his cabin. The crew had been awaiting Riku to return from Monstro before setting off for Neverland. "Now we can start searching for the blasted Peter Pan!"

Without turning around Riku corrected him, "We're on a mission for Wendy; hunt that other kid on your own time."

Pointing his hook threateningly at Riku, Hook protested, "And who exactly gave you the reigns to this operation?"

"You have a problem, take it up with Maleficent." Riku turned to walk out on deck, "Now let's set sail."

Hook crossed his arms as Riku left the room and nodded to his first-mate Smee as he walked into the cabin. "Just who does that scurvy-brat think he is?" He asked Smee as he came up beside him, "Ordering around a pirate captain? This is my ship!"

Smee pulled on his white and blue striped shirt that was a little too short for his large belly. "Wh-what do you want to do about it Captain?"

Throwing his hooked hand angrily into the air he ranted, "Blast it, we can't do anything! Not with direct orders from Maleficent!"

Grumbling under his breath, Hook walked towards the wooden door to head onto the deck with Smee bumbling after him. Reaching the deck he looked around as his crew worked the sails and awaited his orders. At least they were still listening to him rather than that silver haired brat. Smiling to himself, Hook imagined throwing Riku on the plank next time he tried to order him around. The thought brought him some peace of mind as he headed up the flight of creaky stairs that led to the steering wheel of the ship and a large wooden table with a map of Neverland lay across it.

Riku stood by the railing of the ship with his arms crossed, looking out at the open space. The ship had an oxygen field surrounding the vessel by fifty feet, giving the crewmates a clear view of the surrounding worlds and stars. It was actually quite the breathtaking sight as they flew towards Neverland. As Hook and Smee approached the map, Riku reluctantly turned around and looked over their shoulders as they planned out a strategy to finding Peter Pan; he inwardly groaned as he fought the urge to remind them once again that they were searching for Wendy and not Pan.

Stabbing the tip of his hook onto the map, Hook exclaimed, "The first place we will check is Cannibal Cove!"

"But Captain," Smee interrupted, "That's right by Crocodile Crack!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Hook yelled, smacking Smee upside the head, "I'll be safe as long as we don't hear the clock."

"The clock?" Riku asked, somewhat intrigued.

Smee turned around and took off the knitted red hat on his head, "Oh yes, years ago Peter Pan chopped off the Captain's hand and fed it to a crocodile! And not just any old croc, no sir, this croc swallowed an alarm clock; so we always hear it ticking when it comes to attack!"

Captain Hook was a shaking mess, "Mr. Smee, how many times must I tell you to stop telling that story!"

Riku crossed his arms, "It's just a crocodile. Can't you just kill it?"

Hook turned to look at Riku, calmed down and gave him a fake smile, "Oh yes, why didn't I think of that?" Then turning his smile in a scowl he told Riku, "If I desired your opinion, I would have demanded it!"

"I was just asking." Riku defended and rolled his eyes, looking down at the map of Neverland he examined it. Looking over it, he didn't see why they would be checking Cannibal Cove first, farther west there was Mermaid Cove and that seemed like a more likely place to find a young girl. He knew if Hinata was there she would want to go there out of anywhere shown on the map. "Why are we going to Cannibal Cove? Why not Mermaid Cove?"

Groaning and fiddling with his long black mustache, Hook informed him annoyed, "Those mermaids swim off the moment they see our ship. If we want to thoroughly check that place we will have to go on foot."

Riku nodded in acknowledgment and vaguely wondered why the mermaids were so frightened of Hook and his crew when he realized that they were pirates; he could only imagine what they did to cause the mermaids to run off.

"Land ho!" One of the pirates yelled from his post as lookout, "Neverland be approachin!"

"About time!" Hook proclaimed, getting up from his seat and walking towards the ship's railing to look down at Neverland. "Take us to Cannibal Cove!" He ordered, taking out his golden spyglass to see if he could spot Peter Pan or Wendy. When he couldn't find them he irately put his spyglass away and spat, "Blast! I don't see a trace of them!"

"Aye aye!" His shipmates yelled back to his orders as they went about their jobs.

Riku walked up beside Captain Hook and grabbed the railing in front of him. He rather liked being able to fly through space on an open air ship rather than being confined in the gummi ship. Looking down at Neverland as they approached he noticed that the entire place seemed magical. It had a vibe about it that made his heart feel like a child again. The crew mates seemed to feel the same effect as they began to lighten up and even began to sing some song about being a pirate. Slowly, the ship lowered and landed softly in some still water. They were near a beach that led to a thick forest and a small creek of water that twisted into the island.

Once they were completely on the water, Hook turned and walked back to the map of Neverland. Riku followed him and stood beside the table awaiting Hook's plan of action. The men had finished their song and continued their work silently spare for one pirate that sat upon the wooden mast playing an old accordion, singing along to his own written song. At first Riku ignored the man, hoping he would just stop or Hook would speak over him to relay the plan; but after a couple minutes, Hook had yet to explain anything and the singing was riding on Riku's last nerve. Glancing up at the guy, Riku asked Hook, "Do your men always sing so loud?"

Hook glanced up from the map and noticed the man Riku was talking about. With a sigh, he pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the singing man. With a loud bang, a bullet was shot and the accordion played a disjointed note as the man fell from his post and splashed into the ocean below. Putting his gun away, Hook went back to looking at the map as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Riku widened his eyes as the man fell to his death, taken aback by Hook's reaction to his question. He hadn't meant to get the guy killed; but at least it was quiet now. Looking over at Smee, who was standing at his captain's side, he noticed he didn't even seem phased by Hook pulling a gun on a fellow crew mate. It must have been a normal thing to occur. Shrugging, Riku figured it didn't really matter and looked up at the sky. The sun was bright in the blue sky as larger clouds than he had ever seen scattered above him. Looking at an abnormally large cloud he noticed small figures above it. Taking a couple steps forward he squinted his eyes to get a better look when he realized that the figures were in fact people; one of which seemed to be flying. "Hook," He called behind him, "I think there are some people on that cloud up there."

Hook jumped up from his seat, "Peter Pan no doubt! Where is that scurvy brat?" He pulled out his spyglass as Riku pointed towards a cloud and looked in the direction. Getting a grin on his face as he spotted Peter Pan atop the cloud with Wendy and her two younger brothers he proclaimed, "I have you now Peter Pan! Today's the day I shall be rid of you forever!" Putting away his spyglass he ordered his men, "Ready the cannons! Mr. Smee, prepare my rum preserves! I feel a celebration will soon take place."

As the men readied the cannons by Hook's request, Smee saluted Hook, "Aye aye sir!"

"Is Wendy with him?" Riku asked, watching the men ready the weapons. "If she is we shouldn't be firing at them. Maleficent needs her alive."

Hook waved Riku off, "She is, but we are aiming for that blasted Peter Pan! With him out of the picture, retrieving Wendy will be a breeze."

Riku crossed his arms, deciding the see how everything would play out. He watched as the men heaved the heavy black cannon balls into the cannon and lit the end of it to fire. The loud roar that came from it firing caught Riku off guard and caused him to take a couple steps back. He had never heard or even seen cannons before. The black ball zoomed through the sky and headed straight for the people on the cloud. Peter Pan noticed it approaching and got everyone on the cloud with him to lay down to avoid it. The moment the ball had passed, Pan flew into the air and motioned at the people with him. Riku had a hard time making out what was happening since they were so far away; but saw Pan beginning to make his way towards the ship while the people he had been with flew in an opposite direction.

"The others are heading off in a different direction!" Riku called out to Hook, "Shouldn't we go after them?"

"Not now!" Hook told him, pulling out his long narrow sword, "Peter Pan is first priority!"

Riku ran to the opposite side of the ship, watching as Wendy and two others flew away and out of sight. He groaned when they disappeared behind the brush and stalked back to Hook. "We have orders to get Wendy! I told you to go after Pan on your own time!"

"Quiet, boy!" Hook scolded him, "Go after her yourself if you are so impatient!"

Throwing his hands in the air frustrated Riku said, "Fine!"

Turning around, grumbling under his breath, Riku closed his eyes and tried to picture a place he could create a corridor to. The direction Wendy was flying seemed somewhat close to Mermaid Lagoon; so Riku pictured the map in his head and thought about the lagoon, hoping it would be enough to create a connection. He was somewhat surprised when the link was made and the portal appeared. Giving one more annoyed look at Hook, who didn't even notice he was leaving, he shook his head and headed into the portal. Since he was so close to the Mermaid Lagoon from Hook's ship, the corridor was much shorter than the one from Agrabah. It took him less than a minute to head to the other end, much to his surprise. As he appeared on the other side, he immediately felt the thick humidity around him. A thick brush stood before him and a few large insects could be seen crawling across the large dark green leaves.

Riku wondered why the place would be called Mermaid Lagoon when he heard running water and girls giggling behind him. Turning around he felt his cheeks flush at the sight. Tall smooth rocks surrounded a sparkling pond with a waterfall pouring into it. In a rock island in the center of the pond lay a group of young beautiful mermaids. They all stared at Riku, giggling and swishing their long green tails. Riku was taken aback that there were actually living mermaids in front of him. He had heard myths about them, but never actually expected them to be real. There were five of them in front of him and he quickly found himself feeling overwhelmed. He was about to look away when he noticed one of them that reminded him of Hinata. She had long red hair done up the same way Hinata always did hers and Riku suddenly found himself wondering if that would be what Hinata would look like if she were to become a mermaid. The girl he looked at had white sea shells across her chest and was on the rock toying with her hair, smiling coyly in his direction. Riku was in his own little trance that he didn't notice when one of the other mermaids dove into the water and swam to the edge of the lagoon near him.

"Who are you?" A blonde mermaid asked Riku as she was right in front of him. He tore his eyes away from the other girl and looked down at the one in front of him. She had long bright blonde hair only wearing a flower lay that strategically covered her chest.

Riku cleared his throat trying to stay on track for the mission, "Uh, I'm Riku. I'm looking for a young girl named Wendy. Have any of you seen her?"

A few more mermaids from the rock island dove into the water to come up at the edge of the lagoon near Riku, while the red-haired one stayed in her spot for the time being. A mermaid with thick golden orange hair in front of her shoulders sprouted up from water next to the blonde wearing nothing but a pearled crown on her head. She crossed her arms as she spoke up, "No we haven't seen her; no doubt another one of Peter Pan's. He had so many other girls that I'm beginning to think he doesn't even care about us!"

The other mermaids all solemnly agreed and Riku began feeling rather uncomfortable. He didn't have time to hear about their guy problems. Rubbing the back of his neck he said, "Oh, well sorry about that. I'll just be going then."

As he turned to walk away the red headed mermaid called after him, "Wait!" Riku stopped and looked back as the red head swam towards the edge; feeling his heart quicken when he looked at her face once she was close enough. Even her eyes were the same color as Hinata's. Once she was at the edge she asked, "Why don't you stay with us?"

"Yeah," A brunette mermaid wearing star fish on her chest spoke up reaching her hand towards him, "Come into the water for a swim. It will be fun!"

Riku forced himself to look away from the red-head and shook his head, "No thanks. I have things to do."

"What?" The blonde broke in with a pout, "Why not? Don't you think we're pretty?"

Feeling his cheeks deeply flush, Riku shot a quick glance at the red-head, and stammered, "I think you've got the wrong idea." As the girls giggled at his reaction he rubbed the bridge of his nose incredibly embarrassed, "I should go."

He ignored the complaints from the mermaids as he turned to leave as fast as he could; thankful that they didn't have legs so they could chase after him. After several minutes of aimless walking, he stopped to catch his breath and see if he could find out where he was. Everything looked the same to him where he was. It was a large rain forest practically and he hadn't brought any sort of map with him to know where anything was. The humidity of the world was getting to him and the water back at the lagoon was beginning to sound like a really refreshing idea. If only he could find a way to get in it without those mermaids.

Sitting down on a large rock he rested his elbows on his knees and groaned, "Well now what? I have no idea how to track anything."

That was when he remembered that he knew someone that did. Someone that was in fact very talented in tracking. Reaching into his shirt he pulled out the necklace Bedivere had given to him back in Prydain. He stared at the green gem on the chain with the glowing orb in the center, wondering how it was supposed to work. Clasping his hand around it he closed his eyes and tried to do a similar link like he would to create a Corridor to Darkness; only this time rather than connecting to a place it was a person. He got Bedivere in his mind and felt a spark in his hand. Opening his eyes he looked down at the charm in his hand saw that the glowing orb in the center was shaking violently. He held the charm out away from his body, waiting to see what was going to happen when the orb suddenly flew off the charm entirely and zipped into the air. With a bright flash, Riku covered his eyes, and when he opened them he saw Bedivere standing next to his gwythaint dragon pet.

Bedivere put his fore arm over his chest and slightly bowed, "It is good to see you Riku."

Riku put the charm over his neck again and walked towards Bedivere with a smirk. "You too, you got here quick."

"Think of it as a teleportation spell of sorts." Bedivere told him, "I acquired that charm from an enchanter many moons ago on a quest."

Nodding at the information, Riku approached the gwythaint next to Bedivere. Back on Prydain he never got a good chance to see one up close. It had a scaly purple underbelly and red under its thick wings as the rest of it was black. Two sharp horns protruded from its head above bright green glowing eyes. It gave a low growl as Riku neared, causing Riku to stop in his tracks.

"Be calm Eirian." Bedivere whispered, patting his hand on the creature's shoulder as he examined their surroundings. "Now what world am I on right now? We most certainly are not on Prydain anymore."

Eirian stopped growling but still gave Riku a threatening look, making Riku feel more uneasy as he rubbed his hands together. Looking away from Eirian, Riku told Bedivere, "A world called Neverland."

Bedivere put his arms behind his back, thinking it over, "Neverland, what a peculiar name. What brought you to a world like this?"

"I'm on a mission to track down a girl named Wendy." He informed him, surprised by how well Bedivere was taking being on a completely different world. "You think you can find her?"

"Give me a moment and I will let you know." Bedivere told him, placing his hand on Eirian's wing. Eirian bent down on que and allowed Bedivere to climb onto her back. Once he was on, Bedivere looked over at Riku, "You may want to back up a little."

Riku did as he was told as Eirian spread out her long wings and instantly flew to the sky. Shielding his face from the wind, Riku watched as Eirian flew over Neverland. He wasn't sure what it was going to be like working with Bedivere again, but he was thankful he would have someone helping him that knew what they were doing.

Within a few minutes, Eirian and Bedivere were back on the ground. As Bedivere climbed off of Eirian's back he nodded to Riku, "Well Neverland is much smaller than Prydain so I do believe the task is doable. Do you know what this Wendy looks like?"

Nodding, Riku remembered Maleficent pulling up an image of Wendy to show him what she looked like, "She is wearing a light blue dress and has brown curled hair put up in a bow."

"Blue should be easy to spot." Bedivere noted, "Where did you see her last?"

"Farther east, in a place called Cannibal Cove. She was standing on a cloud when I saw her fly in this direction near Mermaid Lagoon." Riku remembered.

"Mermaid Lagoon you say? I would very much like to go there for some research." Bedivere mentioned; taking Riku by surprise when he didn't see anything weird about the flying or the people standing on top of clouds.

"Yeah, well you'll have to do that on your own time." Riku interceded his plans, "I'm not going back there."

Bedivere chuckled, "Yes, mermaids are known to be, shall I say, pushy at times; never actually seen one in person before however. In Prydain they are known as Sirens, they seduce men into the water with them only to eventually drown them."

Riku widened his eyes, so those mermaids weren't really flirting, they had more gruesome intentions. Suddenly, he was grateful he hadn't joined them. "Are all mermaids really like that?"

Shrugging, Bedivere told him, "Everything I know is merely things I have heard. If it's true or not can only really be decided by a field test; which is not something I am necessarily ready to perform." Clearing his throat and placing his arms behind his back he got back to the subject, "Now then, shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah, we need to get her as fast as possible." Riku told him.

"Very well." Bedivere nodded to Eirian and immediately she took off towards the sky to follow behind. Pointing forward he noted, "As I was on Eirian above, I noticed a large cave shaped like a skull. It seems like a good place for someone to hide or take temporary refuge. If you agree, I say we begin searching there."

Riku smiled relieved they had a direction to go, "Sounds good." Before he began walking he had to ask, "Can't we just ride your dragon?"

Bedivere smiled, "I highly doubt she will allow you to ride her. If you wish I could ride off alone to find the girl, however, you would be left to travel alone and on foot. Eirian will alert me if she sees anything."

"How does she know if it's worth telling you?" Riku asked, as he took Bedivere's answer as they were going to have to walk and began going in the direction Bedivere had pointed.

"Gwythaints are very intelligent creatures," Bedivere explained, "She understood everything you said about the girl and what she looks like, so she knows what to keep a keen eye out for."

"That's… impressive." Riku admitted as they walked. After few minutes of silence, he decided to note, "You don't seem surprised to be on another world."

Bedivere stayed quiet for a moment trying to decide how to answer, "Yes, well I suppose you could say this isn't my first off world experience. Getting off Prydain is a rare occurrence, especially due to the lack of technology in our world; but it is still possible with magic, such as the magic that brought me here."

Riku nodded but didn't reply; it seemed that Bedivere was full of surprises. They continued searching for a couple hours in comfortable silence which Riku greatly appreciated. Last thing he wanted was yet another person interrogating him on his recent decisions. His feet began to get weary, but he pushed the feeling away, trying to stay focused on the mission. He hoped him and Bedivere would find Wendy before that bumbling Captain Hook. All that pirate cared about was finding Peter Pan, which was all well and good until he didn't pay attention to the actual mission at hand. Riku shook his head at the thought; Hook didn't exactly seem like the pirates he used to read about. Within the next few steps they finally made their way out of the thick brush and approached a sandy beach. A little ways off the shoreline stood a large stone cave that was shaped like a skull.

They stopped at the edge of the beach and Bedivere lifted his hand to his mouth and gave Riku a glance which told Riku he better cover his ears. Riku did so as Bedivere whistled loudly for Eirian. With a hiss in response she flew towards Skull Rock to scout inside it so they wouldn't have to. Riku walked to the shoreline and knelt down to put his hand into the waved of the sea water. He hadn't touched the ocean since he was back on the island and he felt somewhere deep inside of his heart that he missed it. He missed the sound of the waves sliding into the shore and the call of the sea gulls as they flew above. It was funny to him now; he had wanted nothing more than to leave the island but now he found himself wishing he had a home to go back to. Once everything was finished with Maleficent he didn't know where he was going to go. The thought honestly worried him.

"Something's wrong." Bedivere calmly commented, which caused Riku to swiftly stand. Looking around Bedivere continued, "There is someone watching us."

"How do you know?" Riku asked, trying not to move too suddenly.

"Intuition," Bedivere said simply, "It's possible they heard my whistle or caught sight of Eirian. I would suggest readying your weapon."

Riku nodded and summoned Soul Eater, ready for anything. They stood still, both with swords out, waiting for Eirian to return from the cave. Within a couple minutes Eirian was returning from Skull Rock unfortunately not finding anything. As she flew back towards them rocks and different weapons were suddenly shot towards her from the thick rainforest brush. She let out a roar and easily dodged the attack. Narrowing her eyes, she darted towards the spot in the brush where the projectiles originated from. Children's screams could be heard as she rushed out of sight from Bedivere and Riku.

"Are you going to call her off?" Riku asked, slightly concerned that children could possibly be getting killed.

Bedivere shook his head, "She won't hurt them."

He was right as Eirian flew back towards Bedivere with someone in her claws. Riku's eyes widened as he saw that it was in fact Wendy. Eirian hovered above the ground and released Wendy in front of Bedivere before looking back towards the brush growling. It was apparent that Wendy was not alone.

Wendy let out a yelp as she landed on the ground and quickly scrambled to her feet, brushing off any sand from her dress. "Well I never!" She proclaimed angrily as she stood, "Taking a lady without warning." Glaring up at Riku and Bedivere, expecting to see Captain Hook or a pirate, she gasped and put her hands to her chest, "Who might you be? You certainly don't look like pirates."

Bedivere did his bow and gave Wendy a charming smile, "You are Lady Wendy I presume? I am Sir Bedivere and I apologize for any trouble my dear Eirian gave you. She does not take kindly to being attacked."

Wendy shot a glance over at Riku, but then looked back at Bedivere. He seemed kind enough but she wasn't about to let her guard down completely. Standing up straight she was about to respond when a group of yells from young children came from the brush. Bedivere and Riku slightly turned to see who was approaching while still keeping a close eye on Wendy. A group of eight very young boys came rushing out of the brush towards them; six of them were wearing odd animal costumes while two of them were dressed in pajamas.

The oldest boy of the group by the looks of it; wearing a long nightgown with thin rimmed glasses and a black top hat, he opened a black umbrella and stood behind it with the other boys. Pointing the open umbrella towards them he shouted, "Let my sister go you… you fiends!"

Riku couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed and guilty at the same time. Not only was he kidnapping a young girl, but also an older sister. He vaguely wondered if he was getting in over his head but Bedivere handled the situation.

"Thousand apologies," Bedivere began, bowing once again, "Eirian was only protecting herself from your oncoming attacks. You shouldn't attack things just because they are unfamiliar to you."

Riku looked confused at Bedivere, wondering why he was playing so nice and actually giving the kids a lesson. Looking over at Wendy next to him, she seemed like she wasn't frightened in the slightest by everything happening. He had a feeling Hinata would really like her. Looking back at the group of boys in front of them, they seemed to relax as they spoke with Bedivere. He had to admit, Bedivere had some sort of charm about him that made just about everyone feel at ease around him.

"Are you a lost-boy?" Riku heard Wendy quietly ask him as Bedivere continued talking with the boys.

" A what?" He looked over at her confused and saw her looking right at him with innocent eyes.

"A lost-boy," Wendy repeated, "One of the boys without a home."

Riku looked at the boys in front of them. All of them had to be lost-boys, no home to call their own. Slowly nodding he admitted, "I guess I am."

"I thought so," Wendy confessed.

"Why?" Riku was intrigued.

"Every lost-boy I have met seems happy." Wendy explained, "But there is just something about them that seems… lost."

Riku crossed his arms and thought about what Wendy said. He didn't realize he was giving off that sort of vibe. It actually sort of bothered him; he wanted to prove that he was powerful and could take care of himself and others. Instead it seemed that he wasn't fooling anyone, not even a young girl. Sighing, he stepped forward, "We need to get moving." He told Bedivere.

Bedivere nodded, "Yes, quite." Then looking back to the boys ahead of them he said, "If you will excuse us, we need to take our leave."

The boys smiled and waved goodbye at Bedivere. Even in the couple of minutes they spoke with him they seemed to grow fond of him. Bedivere reluctantly turned around to Riku and whispered, "How do you propose we do this?"

Riku closed his eyes and imagined the coast Cannibal Cove, swiftly creating a portal. Wendy and the boys each gasped and took a couple steps back when they saw the black mass appear. Ignoring their reactions Riku lightly grabbed Wendy's arm in which she immediately tried to pull away. "I can take this portal back to the ship. You can take Eirian or come with." He told Bedivere plainly.

Bedivere slightly scowled, not liking that they were blatantly giving away their intentions to the children; but since it was Riku who called and hired him for the job he simply nodded. "Alright, I will take Eirian."

"Wait, what are you doing with Wendy?" The boy wearing the thin-rimmed glasses spoke up.

"Yeah, give us back our sister!" A small boy no older than two, wearing a pink button up onesie and holding a stuffed bear, pushed passed the other boys and pouted.

"Look, she's needed for something important." Riku told them, avoiding looking at the small toddler, "She'll be back safe I promise."

Before the boys could attack or attempt to get Wendy back, Riku shot a glance at Bedivere and pulled Wendy into the portal.

"Be brave Michael and John!" Wendy called back to them, going with Riku, "I'll be alright!"

Once the portal closed in front of her Wendy found herself in the Corridor of Darkness. She walked calmly along with Riku, keeping her nose tipped in the air and refusing to look at him. She had a feeling that Riku wasn't to be trusted. "You may think you won, but Peter Pan will save me. He always does."

"Yeah, well not this time." Riku told her, "That crazy pirate Hook is making sure of that."

"Hook is no match for Peter Pan." Wendy told him indignantly.

Riku sighed, wanting to get the mission over with. He knew that Bedivere wasn't too happy with him for bailing out like that. Those kids would know to be looking for them now and would be actively trying to get Wendy back; but he couldn't stand to just wait around anymore. Thinking back to what Wendy had said about lost-boys, he wondered why she was there when she had her brothers. Deciding he was curious, he asked, "Are you from Neverland?"

"Most certainly not," Wendy told him, "My brothers and I are from London."

The way she said it seemed like it should have been obvious; but Riku had no idea what London even was. To him it was just another nameless world. "So you're from another world?"

Wendy sighed, not sure why Riku was asking her such questions when he was kidnapping her, "Yes, I suppose so, the second star on the right."

Riku got confused, "The second star on the right? What does that even mean?"

"It is how you get to London!" She told him, "Why are you asking me these things?"

"Just because I guess…" Riku admitted, when he remembered what Maleficent had mentioned about each girl they were taking being royalty, "Are you a princess?"

"No, although, I am growing up tomorrow." Wendy mentioned, "I suppose I could grow up to be a princess."

Riku smiled at that, it was such a childish sentiment; growing up to be whatever you wanted. It was something he and Sora used to talk about often growing up. He always wanted to be an explorer while Sora's future profession would basically change daily. Remembering Sora and their fun memories together made his heart slightly ache as he thought about where they were now. He knew they would never be the same best friends again the moment Sora pulled his Keyblade on him. They were different people now. Feeling his smile wash away, Riku subconsciously tightened his grip on Wendy.

"Not so tight!" Wendy told him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," He whispered, greatly loosening his grip as they reached the end of the corridor. As they entered the light that was going to lead to Cannibal Cove, Riku hoped that Hook's ship would still be stationed there. Feeling the sea breeze against his face as they stood on the shoreline, Riku groaned, the Jolly Roger was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that he and Bedivere had another tracking job to do before the mission was completely over.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! Next time we will be back to Hinata in Atlantica. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you think. *****


	33. A Sea of Problems

Chapter 33

Hinata sat on one of the shell beds in the mermaids' room with her hands clasped around her tail as she listened to Sora retell her everything about Agrabah and Monstro. Ariel was speaking privately with King Triton before bringing in her new friends, so they had to wait for an audience; which gave Sora and Hinata time to talk. Ariel's sisters huddled around Hinata tending to her wounds and fixing any strands of hair that got dislodged from her braid while she had fought the Heartless. Hinata hadn't the slightest idea why the girls had taken such a liking to her. It's not like she was anything particularly special. Her heart was slumped as she heard everything about Riku when Sora had seen him in Monstro. For Riku to try to kidnap a small boy, even if it was a puppet and for Kairi, it was incredibly disheartening. She didn't know how he could have fallen so quickly.

"And then he just disappeared into this black portal!" Sora explained, referring to when Riku had left Monstro. He swam back and forth in the bedroom in a fritz; trying to piece together what Riku had done. "Then Donald, Goofy and I had to fight the big Heartless to save Pinocchio." After he was finished he stopped swimming and crossed his arms, "Something in my heart tells me that Riku is on the wrong side. I just wonder how he got there. Do you know Hinata?"

Hinata winced as Arista rubbed some sort of cleansing solution on the sting along her waist, trying to get the swelling down. She thought over everything Sora told her and tried to figure out how she was going to tell him everything about Maleficent. When Sora looked over at her expectantly, she avoided his gaze; she knew he wasn't going to like what she had to say.

Taking a deep breath she spoke up, "When the island got destroyed, Riku and I ended up in a place called Hollow Bastion where we met this woman called Maleficent." She forced herself to look over at Sora, seeing his already big blue eyes widen with surprise. "We didn't know who she was or where we were, and she offered us a deal; we do missions for her and she would find you and Kairi."

"And you agreed?" Sora said in disbelief.

Ariel's sisters were listening intently at this point. One by one the girls stopped fussing over Hinata and took seats around her to listen to her story. Donald, who was swimming by the door to the room sighed; they weren't supposed to be sharing such information with world residents, but Hinata said that the mermaids already knew about her being an off-worlder. He guessed he couldn't expect everyone to work by the rules of the world order. Everyone was silent, waiting for Hinata to continue.

Beginning to feel self-conscious from everyone waiting for her to speak, Hinata momentarily closed her eyes before continuing, "Yes we did. Riku thought that it was worth a try and I told him I would trust him on it."

It was obvious Sora didn't agree with their decision. From what he had seen of Maleficent it was obvious that she wasn't the type of person anyone should trust. Giving a slight huff he asked, "What were the missions?"

"Remember what I told you in Traverse Town about Alice?" Hinata asked, looking down at her tail. "Maleficent told us that Alice ran away from Hollow Bastion and that we were bringing her home; but… ever since we brought her back we haven't seen her at all. She's just gone."

She looked up at Sora and his friends Donald and Goofy that were behind him. All three of them seemed visibly upset from hearing that. Sora had been really worried about Alice and had felt relieved when Hinata had told him she was safe; but now, they weren't even sure if she was alive.

Sora tightly closed his eyes, getting angered; however, not with Hinata or Riku, but with Maleficent. She seemed to be causing problems for all of his friends. Clenching his hands into fists he drew his own conclusions, "So earlier when you said 'they' got Jasmine, did you mean Maleficent?" He darted a glance at Hinata and felt his heart sink when she nodded.

"Maleficent and Jafar tricked me into helping them take over Agrabah." Hinata admitted bitterly. "When I found out what they were doing I got Jasmine out of the palace and told Aladdin to take care of her. That's when Maleficent told Riku I had to leave."

Loosening his clenched fists, Sora worried about his best friend; wishing he had been able to grab his hand back when the island was being destroyed. Maybe then he would have ended up in Hollow Bastion with them. Looking at the ceiling he asked, "What did Riku do while you were in Agrabah?"

"That's just it." Hinata confessed, confused, "He knew about the entire plot and didn't tell me about it. Then when he was given the choice to come away with me or make me leave alone, he…" Her voice trailed off as she looked away feeling the familiar sting of tears but mentally shoved them away. "After I left Hollow Bastion he went back to Agrabah to get Jasmine."

"Why is Riku doing this stuff?" Sora inquired, trying to rack his brain.

"I don't know the real reason." Hinata regretfully told him, "It started out as a desire to get you and Kairi back; but once he saw you in Traverse Town he changed. I don't know what happened. His excuse is that Maleficent has Kairi in custody; but…"

"They have Kairi in custody?!" Sora interrupted waving his arms in the air, "When did this happen? I just saw you guys a couple days ago!"

Hinata was taken aback by Sora's outburst and answered, "I don't know. Riku just mentioned it to me when I asked him why he wasn't coming with me. I told him we could get her ourselves but he wouldn't listen to me."

"We need to go get her!" Sora exclaimed, accidentally whipping his shark tail causing him to shoot up and hit his head on the ceiling, "Ow!"

The surrounding mermaids gasped then giggled as Sora hit his head. "Seems like someone is smitten." Alana teased, getting the other sisters to giggle in response.

Sora's cheeks slightly darkened at their jest as he rubbed his head and lowered back to their level. Attina, swam in front of her sisters, "Alright girls, we should give them some space to continue talking. Ariel will be done talking with Father soon so we should go to the throne room."

The girl's grumbled under their breaths wanting to hear more about Hinata and Sora's adventures, but followed Attina's orders anyways.

Once the girls were gone, Donald grabbed Sora's arm and tugged him towards the ground, "Sora, calm down! We can't leave yet!"

"Yeup!" Goofy agreed, "We still have another keyhole to find!"

"I know but…" Sora began protesting.

"I'm sorry Sora," Donald told him empathetically, "But you have responsibilities!"

"He has a responsibility to his friends!" Hinata jumped up, not appreciating Donald and Goofy butting in. She swam towards Sora and put her hand on his shoulder, "Right Sora?"

Sora put his head down and closed his eyes, deep in thought. Outstretching his arm he summoned his Keyblade. Looking at the weapon in his hand he told Hinata. "I don't know why, but the Keyblade chose me and whether I like it or not I do have responsibilities as its master." Looking over apologetically at Hinata he explained, "Donald and Goofy are right, I need to find the last two keyholes; the one here and then one other world."

"But what about Kairi?" Hinata broke in, not wanting to hear about his responsibilities. All she cared about was getting Riku back before it was too late. Her heart was festering with frustration, not understanding why Sora was not wanting to leave immediately. "If you go after those other worlds before going to Hollow Bastion, who knows where Riku or Kairi will end up!"

"This is bigger than all of us Hinata." Sora tried to tell her; his eyes told her that he was mentally arguing with himself. Hinata felt her anger simmer down as she saw the desperation in his eyes. It wasn't often that Sora would look that way. He was obviously torn between doing what was ultimately right and dropping reason to go after his friends. "If I don't lock the hearts of worlds then the Heartless could destroy them, just like the island."

Hinata's eyes widened when he mentioned the island. So that's how it was destroyed, the Heartless found the keyhole, or as Sora put it, the heart of the world. Hinata sat down on the edge of a shell bed and tightened her hands around the smooth edge of the shell. Sora was right, it was bigger than them. Having to swallow a lump in her throat, she spoke up, "Alright, I understand now. You're right; you need to do that first." Looking up at them she pleaded, "Let me help. If I search with you, maybe we can find it just that much faster."

Sora smiled relieved that Hinata understood where he was coming from and was about to agree with her suggestion when Donald cut in, "I told you back in Traverse Town, you can't!"

Hinata rolled her eyes, "I'm not even from this world! Plus, I have my own ship! Even if you don't agree, I'll just follow you."

"You wouldn't dare!" Donald crossed his arms and glared.

"It's not like I have much else to do." Hinata shrugged, "I can't get Riku back by myself and King Triton told me I was going to have to leave after I found you guys."

"He knows you were waiting for us?" Goofy asked surprised.

Donald quacked angrily, "You're not supposed to tell people that! Have you never heard of protecting the world order?"

"As a matter of fact I haven't." Hinata told Donald, throwing her hands in the air. That duck got on her last nerve more often that she liked. "And I didn't just blurt it out, he knew I wasn't from here the moment he saw me; something about being the ruler of the ocean and knowing everything."

Donald grumbled under his breath as Goofy swam forwards to be in front of Hinata, "Don't mind him. I'm glad you'll be travellin' with us!"

"Me too!" Sora burst in with a grin, "It will be nice to have a familiar face to travel with.

Hinata chuckled, "It will be. Thanks guys."

Just then Ariel burst into the room in front of her sisters, beaming. "Daddy's ready to see all of you!"

Sora nodded to Donald and Goofy before addressing Ariel, "Alright! Let's go."

"I'll stay here until you're done talking with him." Hinata told Sora as Ariel's sisters all swam back into the bedroom. "King Triton put me in charge of keeping his daughters safe so I better stay with them for right now."

Sora nodded in agreement as he turned and followed after Ariel with Donald and Goofy trailing behind. Once they were out of the room, the sisters swarmed Hinata as she was expecting they would. Alana swam behind Hinata and began putting different colored flowers into her already flowered hair.

"I picked some of these blue wild flowers by father's throne while I was away." Alana told her, "I thought they would look nice with the white ones already in your hair."

Hinata smiled and gave a small laugh, "I'll have a garden growing in my head by the time I leave here."

"The swelling on your stings is going down." Arista commented, looking at the once puffed up spots on Hinata's skin.

Before Hinata could respond, Adella cut in, "So who's that boy Riku you were talking about earlier? Is he your someone special?"

"Adella!" Attina scolded, "That isn't any of our business."

"Leave it to Adella to ask the relationship questions!" Adrina rolled her eyes, "She's obsessed with boys."

"Am not!" Adella shot back, feeling her face flush.

Hinata smiled uncomfortably, beginning to feel overwhelmed by the attention, "No it's fine. Riku is someone very special to me and he needs my help."

"Are you two together?" Adella pried.

"Adella!" Her sisters all scolded at once.

"It's fine really." Hinata put her hand up to calm them, "We were together, or maybe we still are… I don't really know." She laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. "It's a little hard to tell right now."

"Why?" Adella asked, ignoring the looks she got from her sisters.

Hinata rubbed the back of her neck, wincing when she accidentally brushed over a sting on her shoulder. "It's a long story. We were doing great until recently, and then we started following different paths. Since then… everything's changed."

All at once the stress of everything fell back onto Hinata. Her eyes became heavy with exhaustion as her heart sank. Aquata came up beside her and put her hand on Hinata's uninjured shoulder. "When's the last time you slept, you look exhausted."

"I'm not sure," Hinata admitted when she remembered it was when Riku carried her to the gummi ship. He always had this calming effect on her even when she was angry or under a lot of stress. If he was around she could always get to sleep. Without him around though, she wondered if she would have as much luck.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Arista suggested, "You can sleep until Father is finished talking with your friends."

Hinata fought back a yawn and shook her head, "No, I couldn't. I need to protect you and I can't do that asleep. Plus, I don't know if I could even sleep with everything going on."

"We will be safe here." Attina told her, "You can't expect to protect us to your fullest being as tired as you are either."

Seeing that she wasn't going to sway their minds and feeling her eyelids becoming heavier by the second, Hinata reluctantly nodded her head in resignation. "Alright, you win. I'll get some rest; but wake me if there are any Heartless."

Alana put in the last flower in Hinata's hair before backing away and joining her sisters at the door. Hinata lay down on top of the shell bed she had been sitting on and heard the mermaid sisters attempt to quietly leave the room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to relax and not to let her mind wander to Riku; but he was the only thing he could think of. She wished she could snuggle into his chest and have him wrap his arms around her. Instead she was in some unknown world wondering if they would ever see each other again. Feeling her heart lurch she whispered, "I miss you Riku." After the words left her mouth exhaustion finally got the best of her and she lulled into a deep sleep dreaming of the happier memories back on the islands.

"Hinata," Alana's voice softly cooed Hinata back to consciousness, "It's been a few hours and my sisters and I are getting bored."

Hinata fluttered her eyes open, still feeling tired but much less so than before. She lightly smiled at Alana before slowly sitting up. "A few hours? Is Sora still talking with your dad?"

"We aren't exactly sure where Sora is." Aquata spoke up, "The meeting apparently didn't go so well."

Before Hinata could ask what happened, Attina explained, "Ariel has been confined to the palace but has sneaked out with your friend Sora to help him find something they called a keyhole."

Hinata lightly scoffed, "Well at least Sora is staying on task. Does your dad want me to leave now?"

"He did." Adella confessed, "He came here demanding you leave and that he never should have allowed off-world visitors."

"Oh," Hinata looked at her lap, slightly surprised to see a fish tail instead of legs when she remembered where she was. "So I should get going."

"Well that was before Attina jumped to your defense." Arista burst out.

Hinata shot her head up towards Attina surprised, "You stood up for me? Why?"

"When we first saw you, we were hostile and yelling at you when you had no idea where you were. Then Heartless attacked and rather than using them as a distraction to make an escape you saved us." Attina explained, "I'll admit, even after that I wasn't sure if I could trust you; but after swimming in to save Aquata during the race earlier I knew."

"Thank you." Hinata smiled warmly, "Thank you all. I don't know why you are all being so nice to me. You don't know anything about me."

She gave a small yelp when all of the sisters, except Attina who simply smiled, tackle hugged her. Her cheeks flushed as she stiffened, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do when she realized she should just roll with it. Relaxing, she wrapped her arms around them and enjoyed their friendly embrace.

"This calls for a girls' day out!" Adrina proclaimed as they pulled apart from the hug.

Hinata held up her hands, "Wait, time-out, I need to find Sora remember?"

"You can't." Attina spoke up, "One of the conditions of letting you stay longer was that you had to stay by our sides. Since we trust you, our Father trusts you as well; but not enough to let you freely roam Atlantica."

"Oh, well alright" Hinata begrudgingly accepted that she wasn't going to aid Sora like she wanted. She momentarily wondered why she was bothering to stay in Atlantica at all when she realized that she didn't have anywhere else to go and she'd much rather stay within welcomed company than find a whole new world altogether on her own again. Turning towards Adrina she shrugged, "Well then I guess you're right; girl's day out it is."

Adrina and her sisters squealed with delight swarming Hinata with different ideas of things they were going to show her and do. Hinata inwardly groaned; this was not how she had wanted to spend her time in Atlantica. There was so much going on that the last thing she should be doing is going out to have a good time. She didn't even know if she could let herself relax to the point of having fun with the girls. Forcing a smile, she nodded and tried to listen to the slur of ideas from the girls. After several minutes of arguing of where to take Hinata first, they finally decided on showing her the palace garden.

"Wait until you see it!" Alana told Hinata as she led the way to her favorite spot. "There are all sorts of different colored flowers!"

"I'm surprised there are so many different types of flowers under the sea." Hinata commented.

"Are there not supposed to be?" Arista asked.

Hinata shook her head, "It's not that. It's just that from what I've seen of the ocean, there aren't as many plants under it as there are on land."

"There are flowers on land too?" Alana piped in, intrigued.

"All sorts!" Hinata informed her, and then proceeded to try to explain different flowers back in Destiny Islands.

They chatted excitedly as they entered the garden. Hinata gasped at the rainbow of colors that appeared before her. They were in a grotto with rocky walls that were covered with various flowers, each a different color that swayed rhythmically with the flow of the water. Small fish and crabs swam through the plants and starfish claimed any bare spots along the cave walls. Rays of sunlight beamed through a small porthole in the top of the grotto giving a whimsical feel to the area. Hinata swam to the center of the grotto, slowly spinning to take in her surroundings. It was breathtaking.

"This is beautiful." She whispered, "I wish I could take a picture." Looking over at the sisters she asked, "Do you have cameras here?"

"Sure do!" Adella chimed, "I even brought mine! I bet that Riku of yours would like a picture of you here!"

Hinata lightly blushed, she knew for a fact he would. Seeing Adella bring out her camera, she suddenly felt rather self-conscious. She was never too keen of pictures of herself. Rubbing her hands together she asked, "Uh, can it be a group photo?"

"That's a great idea!" Arista agreed as the other sisters all smiled and swam instantly towards Hinata.

Adella liked the idea as well but wanted to be in the picture. Spinning around she found a young merman entering the garden. Pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear she swam towards him and giggled, "Hi, would you mind taking a picture of us?"

The boy blushed as one of the princesses were actually speaking with him and smiled, "Uh, yeah of course!"

"Oh, thank you so much!" Adella squealed and quickly handed the boy her camera before swimming to the rest of the group.

Hinata felt much more at ease being surrounded by the others girls and smiled. She wasn't sure she would ever get the chance to show Riku the picture or if he would even care, but she could at least put it in her journal.

"Um… alright," The merman stammered, readying the camera, "Smile!"

The group of girls huddled around Hinata and did silly poses as the boy flashed the camera. Hinata and Attina were the only two to stay serious and simply smile. Once the picture was taken Adella swam towards the boy to retrieve her camera.

"Thank you!" She told him giving him a hug.

The boy's cheeks darkened considerably and awkwardly laughed as Adella let him go to swim back to the group. Holding out the blue camera it looked as if it was made out of a conch shell. Looking at it, Hinata hadn't the slightest idea how it worked. It didn't look like any camera she had seen back on the island. She was surprised as the picture that was taken was slowly ejecting from a thin opening on the bottom of the camera. The material of the photo seemed to be different than the ones on land, probably to make it water proof. As it finished coming out of the shell camera, Hinata couldn't help but smile. Everyone looked so happy, even her.

Adrina grabbed the picture once it was completely printed and placed it into her pink satchel she had brought along. "I'll hold onto it until you leave." She told Hinata.

"Thanks." Hinata told her, and then gave another look at the beautiful garden. "Who knew the ocean could be so beautiful?"

"Oh you haven't seen even a fraction of it!" Aquata lightly elbowed Hinata, "I'll race you to the next place."

Hinata smirked, "You're on!"

The girls laughed as they raced and showed Hinata around different spots around the palace; each one equally as beautiful as the garden and taking pics at each spot. Reaching the area where they had taught Hinata how to swim they stopped to take a short break. Hinata sighed, exhausted and lowered onto a large closed white clam and leaned back on her arms. Attina joined her as the rest of the sisters giggled and chatted.

"They can be overwhelming." Hinata admitted to Attina as she noticed her sit beside her.

Attina gave a small laugh, "You have no idea."

Hinata laughed back and then said, "Thank you again, for sticking up for me… you know, when your father tried to make me leave."

"It was the least I could do. You have been nothing but kind to my sisters," Attina told her, "I can't say for sure I trust your friend Sora; especially since he snuck out of the palace with Ariel against the King's orders."

Looking up towards the sun beams that pierced through the water, Hinata promised, "Sora doesn't mean any harm. He has a big responsibility that is larger than any of us." She finally understood where Sora was coming from with his mission.

"I hope you're right." Attina confessed, "Ariel doesn't have the best intuition when it comes to strangers. She trusts just about anyone, all they have to do is give her a smile." She sighed, "I worry about her."

Hinata looked over at Attina, understanding how she felt. She was the protective older sister, and not just to Ariel but to all of her sisters. Putting her hand on Attina's shoulder she comforted, "I know how you feel. I have a younger sister too."

"Does she give you as much trouble as Ariel?" Attina asked, giving Hinata a smile.

Hinata thought back to everything she remembered about Aiko; remembering the stories she told Riku about her running off when she wasn't supposed to. She laughed sadly, "Yeah, she used to run off all the time when I wasn't looking. She got into all sorts of trouble."

"Used to?" Attina referred to Hinata using past tense. "Did something happen to her?" Seeing the sadness flash across Hinata's eyes she shook her hands in front of her, "Never mind, I don't mean to pry."

Hinata shook her head, "No, it's fine. The world that my sister and I grew up on was under attack about a year ago, or at least I think it was a year. During the attack we got separated and I ended up on a completely different world." Moving her hands from behind her back to wrap around herself, she admitted, "I don't know if she made it out or where she is for that matter."

Attina gave her a sad but understanding smile, "Well you made it out didn't you? I'm sure she's alright. If she is anything like you, I'm sure she's alive."

Her words reminded Hinata of what Riku had said to her on the subject and she felt herself missing him. She gave a small laugh at Attina's words, "Unfortunately, she wasn't… or really isn't, like me. She was only six when the attacks happened and liked to spend most of her time picking flowers rather than learning how to fight like me. But thanks; it's reassuring to know you think she's alright. I'll find out what happened to her someday I'm sure of it."

Attina smiled at Hinata when she noticed Ariel swimming alone up to them and something seemed to be bothering her. "Ariel, what's wrong?" Attina asked her.

Ariel forced a smile, "Oh, it's nothing really. Dad isn't around is he?"

Crossing her arms, Attina told her, "No, he is looking over a security breach in the southern ocean. Why?"

"Alright, just wondering," Ariel darted her eyes back and forth as if she were expecting or hiding something. "You should get out of here; show Hinata that dance club we found a couple years back. Remember that one?"

Her sisters were surrounding her now, giving her worried looks. "Is everything okay?" Adrina asked her concerned.

"Of course!" Ariel threw her arms up and smiled in such a way that made all of them question her.

"Ariel, where is Sora?" Hinata swooshed her tail to make herself stand.

"I-I don't know." Ariel confessed, "I swam off without him after Daddy…" Her voice trailed off, obviously hurt by something that recently happened.

"We aren't going anywhere until you tell us what's wrong." Attina ordered, getting firm and increasingly worried.

"I told you that nothing is wrong!" Ariel yelled.

"Then why do you want us to leave?" Aquata asked, putting her hand on Ariel's shoulder.

Ariel shrugged and pushed Aquata's hand off her shoulder, "I don't know, it's just seems like it's been a while since you all have gone dancing and I bet Hinata would love to see the club."

Hinata put her hands on her hips and examined Ariel. She was acting suspiciously like Riku had when he sent her away. She was hiding something and it wasn't good; but they weren't going to get it out of her just by prying. They would have to find out a different way. Crossing her arms she tried to figure out what they were going to do to find out when Attina spoke up.

"Alright Ariel, you win." Attina threw her hands in the air, "You're right, it has been a long time since we've gone dancing. We'll go there right now."

"What?" the other sisters protested, when Attina gave them a look that caused each of them to immediately quiet down.

Ariel gave Attina a suspicious look, but didn't have the time to question her sudden change of mind. "Okay, thanks. I hope you all have fun."

Attina motioned to her sisters to begin swimming away and called behind her to Ariel, "We always do!"

Once they were out of the courtyard and out of earshot Attina stopped swimming causing her sisters and Hinata to stop as well.

When they stopped Alana huffed, "Why did you do that Attina? You should know more than any of us that she is hiding something!"

Attina sighed and looked back towards the courtyard, "Of course I do; but the more we pried her the more she pretended like nothing was wrong. We have to find out a different way."

Hinata smirked; it seemed that she and Attina thought a lot alike. "What did you have in mind?" She asked.

"As much as I try to avoid doing this, I think I should follow her." Attina told them.

"Follow her?" Adrina asked, crossing her arms in confusion, "Why would you do that?"

"If she is wondering if Father is out of the palace she must want to do something she shouldn't be. I don't know what it is and it isn't like Ariel to hide something this big; but if I follow her she's bound to lead us to whatever she is doing." Attina explained, and then sighed, "I don't know what's gotten into her."

Hinata placed her hand on Attina's shoulder, "We will figure it out; don't worry. I'll come with you."

Attina gave a small smile, "You're right, thanks." Looking back at her sisters she asked, "Alright, Hinata and I will go after Ariel. The rest of you go back to our bedroom until we return."

The sisters gave each other uneasy looks but eventually nodded. They didn't like the idea of Attina spying on one of their own sisters, but she was right, it had to be done.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Attina began to swim, "Alright let's go then. There is a secret balcony above the courtyard where we can spy."

"How do you know about it?" Hinata asked as she followed.

"Father sometimes uses it to keep an eye on what his subjects are doing." Attina quickly explained, "Being the next in line, I need to know these things."

"You're next in line?" Hinata asked surprised, "So that explains why you have a crown."

Attina nodded and ordered, "Alright, we need to cut the small talk. We need to make sure we're quiet."

Hinata felt her cheeks slightly flush from embarrassment that she had been scolded and did as Attina said. Following close behind, she was led up to a stone balcony far above the courtyard. From a small alcove opening they could peek at the world below without being easily spotted from anyone below. They scanned the area looking for Ariel when Attina spotted her familiar red hair.

"There she is." She whispered to Hinata, "She is right by the entrance to Father's throne."

Finding Ariel, Hinata nodded in response. Ariel looked around as if to make sure that no one was following her. After deciding that she was alone, she swam towards one of the pillars in the courtyard and motioned her arm in a come-hither fashion.

Attina gasped as a purple woman that was half octopus with white hair appeared from behind a corner. "Is that Ursula? But she was exiled."

"Who's Ursula?" Hinata asked confused.

"A sea witch." Attina spat, "She uses black magic and manipulation to get whatever she wants. Father had her exiled from the palace after she ignored his multiple warnings and caused several deaths."

Hinata's eyes widened, Ursula sounded a lot like Maleficent. "Why would Ariel be with her?"

"I have no idea." Attina admitted, and then tried to piece it together, "When she saw us she asked if Father was around and then told us to leave the palace. She must have made a deal with Ursula to get her into the palace. Why though, it doesn't make any sense." She backed away from the edge of the opening, "I need to inform Father of this immediately." Looking at Hinata she ordered, "You need to get down there and distract them as long as you can until I get back. If Ursula is going so far as to sneak into the palace there is no telling what she has planned."

Tightening her grip on the hilts of her swords, Hinata bowed her head and assured Attina, "I will do my best."

Attina nodded and swam as fast as she could out of the area to find her father and once she was gone Hinata turned towards the opening of the balcony overlooking Ursula and Ariel. She swam straight into the courtyard as Ariel led Ursula into the throne room and followed after them. Entering the room she saw more stone columns in a circular formation surrounding a tall elaborate throne. On either side of the throne were two glowing pedestals where bubbles floated upwards. Hinata slowly swam behind them, trying to remain quiet for the time being when Ariel suddenly stopped and turned around; widening her eyes when she spotted Hinata.

"What are you doing here?" Ariel called out to Hinata, causing Ursula to also turn around with a scowl. "Where are my sisters?"

"Somewhere safe," Hinata assured her, "Unlike you."

"Oh, so it's the brat's girlfriend." Ursula spoke up, recognizing Hinata from when she first arrived in Hollow Bastion. "About time he got rid of you."

Hinata narrowed her eyes, knowing she was referring to Riku, and readied her swords. "I take it you're with Maleficent? And here I was thinking we could be friends."

Ursula cackled in response, "My dear I always have time for the unfortunate souls such as yourself; however, I am already on another job. So how about you take your little toys you call weapons and dilly dally somewhere else?"

Ignoring Ursula, Hinata looked over at Ariel, "Why are you helping her? Where are Sora, Donald, and Goofy?"

"I need to see what's out there!" Ariel yelled in response, but her big blue eyes gave away her uncertainty. "Ursula promised to get me out of here. Sora and them, they wouldn't understand."

"I think Sora would understand more than you think." Hinata noted, trying to elongate the conversation as long as possible. "Home is where you need to be. It isn't all that great out there."

"I know you and Sora are from another world!' Ariel burst out, getting somewhat emotional. Torn between what everyone told her she should feel and how she truly felt, she cried out "If you can see what's out there why can't I?"

Hinata was about to respond, telling her that it wasn't her or Sora's choice to be on other worlds; but Ursula interrupted. Putting her hand on Ariel's shoulder Ursula soothed, "You're absolutely right my darling. You deserve to see it. That's why I am here." Ariel looked away from both Hinata and Ursula and tightly closed her eyes. Ursula scowled as she brought her gaze back to Hinata, "Beat it!"

"I am not going anywhere." Hinata tightened her hands around her blades, preparing for a fight.

"Flotsam! Jetsam!" Ursula called out, "Make her writhe!"

Hinata spun around, looking for anything approaching when she felt slimy creatures wrap around her waist pinning her arms to her sides. Looking down she saw the creatures were two long gray-blue eels both with yellow eyes. Wriggling and squirming, she desperately tried to escape their tightening grip when she spotted Ursula and Ariel continuing their way into the throne room. She had to escape and buy Attina more time. Her hands were pinned to her sides but she still had a grip on her blades. Trying to maneuver them with her fingers, she turned the swords up as they were pointed down at the moment. Once they were facing up she pressed the sharp ends on the eels' skin and did a sawing motion with her hands; or at least as much of one she could muster with the angle they were in. At first the eels didn't notice the motion until it broke through their skin. With a yelp from both of them they first tightened their grip, trying to ignore the pain; but as their bleeding cuts only became deeper from the continue sawing they released their grip and swam away, leaving Hinata in a cloud of reddened water. Loosening her arms, Hinata swam towards Ursula. Ariel was next to the throne looking increasingly unsure of herself by the second as Ursula held up a golden trident above her head.

Hinata's eyes widened when she saw the trident, "That belongs to King Triton!"

Ursula didn't even scowl at Hinata as she was almost giddy by her prize, "Not any more poopsie. Atlantica is finally mine!" Hinata readied her swords and immediately charged towards Ursula when the sea witch pointed the trident towards her. A bright golden light emanated from the tip and a beam shot out, instantly striking Hinata in the chest.

Stopping in her tracks, Hinata let out a yell of agony and dropped her blades; grabbing at the spot Ursula had shot her. Retracting her hand from the wound she saw her own blood mixing with the salty water around her. The corners of her vision began to blur as pain waved relentlessly through her entire being. She could hear the mixed protests from Ariel as well as the wicked laugh of Ursula as she tried to connect what had just happened.

"Ursula, you have gone far enough!" Hinata could hear Triton's booming voice echoing in her fading mind. Attina had found her father and brought him to the rescue; meaning Hinata had stalled them long enough, or so she hoped. "Attina, get her out of here!"

Hinata tried to keep her eyes open as Ursula and Triton began to yell and fight but her eyelids suddenly felt painfully heavy. Maybe she could just close them for a minute, and then she could leap back into action. Faintly, she felt Attina's hands wrapping around her as she tried to pull Hinata to safety.

"Stay awake, Hinata." Attina tried to calmly tell Hinata as she struggled to get her out of the throne room. "Everything is going to be fine."

She was saying those words even as she watched her own father being beat by the infamous sea witch. There was nothing she could do, only get Hinata to safety. She forced herself to look away from her father and quickly caught sight of Ariel; she was crying for Ursula to stop, saying that it wasn't what she wanted. Attina tightly closed her eyes and looked away; she had to get out of there and find Sora. With Hinata injured he was the only one she could think of who could fix this. Hinata's tail lightly swayed helping Attina to maneuver through the dangerous waters as she carried her. Within a minute they had reached the courtyard and Attina felt a moment of relief only to have it replaced with fear when she noticed Hinata's tail had ceased moving. Her heart momentarily stopped as she felt Hinata go limp in her arms. Trying to keep her panicked breaths even, Attina lowered to a large clam and laid Hinata down on top of it. She felt a lump form in her throat when she saw the state Hinata was in. There was a round blackened wound right above her breasts with hefty amounts of blood floating out of it and her skin was even paler than normal; she didn't look like she was alive. With a shaking hand, Attina placed her hand on Hinata's neck and let out her breath when she felt a weak pulse. Hinata was alive, but barely.

Looking around for any sign of anyone, Attina cupped her hands around her mouth, "Help! Someone help me!"

She continued yelling, periodically checking Hinata's pulse to make sure she was still breathing; when with one last yell she saw Sora rapidly approaching with his two companions. Without thinking she waved them over and felt herself smile briefly with relief.

"What happened?" Sora asked incredibly concerned as he swam up beside Hinata. Seeing the wound and the large amounts of blood she was losing he shook his head, "Never mind that, she needs healing now and I am out of magic." Looking back at Donald, who was swimming in place behind him next to Goofy he called him over, "Donald, can you heal her?"

Donald swam up to Hinata, fidgeting uncomfortably with his magic wand. "It won't heal her all the way Sora." He told him regretfully.

"Can you stop the bleeding at least?" Attina broke in, "Anything would help at this point."

Sora looked at Donald and gave him a nod. Donald instantly obeyed and raised his wand high above his head. "Heal!" He yelled out instantly feeling the magic rush out of him and into Hinata.

As the green light emanated around Hinata's wound she instantly shot her eyes open and sat up; startling everyone around her. She coughed and took deep breaths all the while feeling a deep burning sensation in her chest. Grimacing, Hinata placed her hand on her chest when she was only greeted with more pain. Her eyes widened when she looked down and saw the wound.

"It's alright!" Attina assured her before Hinata freaked out, "You're going to be fine. Ursula struck you but your friends healed you."

"Wait, Ursula?" Sora interrupted before Hinata could respond, "Where is she?"

Attina pointed towards the throne room, "She is after the trident and something about a keyhole."

Summoning his Keyblade, Sora ordered Donald and Goofy, "We have to go." Looking down at Hinata he softly told her, "Stay here and get some rest."

"No, I'm coming with you!" Hinata protested, ignoring her pain as she swam to Sora's level. The bleeding of her abrasion had ceased but it was still raw and tender. "I can help."

"You would only get in my way." Sora teased bluntly with a smirk to lighten the mood, and then gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry. Look, once Ursula is gone we'll find you."

Hinata watched as Sora, Donald, and Goofy swam away towards the throne room leaving her behind with Attina. She winced as her wound had a spasm of pain from her moving so quickly. Sighing, she lowered to Attina's level in the water. With her adrenaline from waking up so suddenly washing away the throbbing sting in her chest began to steadily rise and threatened to make her pass out again. Attina noticed Hinata's state and was instantly at her side with support.

"That's all I seem to be doing lately;" Hinata mumbled, staring absently at the once white clam that was now tinted red from her blood from when she had been laying on it unconscious. "Getting in everyone's way…"

Attina tightened her grip on Hinata to help her stay afloat, but remained silent. She shouldn't get involved with whatever Hinata had to deal with; even though she knew all too well how Hinata felt. Silently, they swam towards the sister's bedroom. Once they entered the door all five of the other sisters, who had been patiently waiting inside per Attina's orders, instantaneously saw the state of Hinata and surrounded her.

"What happened?" Alana gasped placing her hand lightly by Hinata's wound. "I'll whip up an ointment right now."

Whipping around, Alana went to her counter-space by the mirrors and went to work as the other sisters fussed over Hinata. In a huddle, the girls led Hinata to one of their beds and forced her to lie down despite her trying to convince them that she was fine. She tried her best to keep up with everything they were telling her and asking but found it much more difficult when it felt as if her entire body was throbbing in agony. Leaning back on the bed she laid her head on the soft pillow as she felt herself seep into the surprisingly fluffy blanket. With the bleeding ceased she could fall asleep if she wanted to and without thinking she felt her mind shut down as she drifted into sleep. As her mind slipped into dreamland she couldn't help but have a passing wish that she could have done more rather than getting in the way all the time. She felt a tear slip from her despite the promise she had made to herself to have no more tears. Once she awoke, things were going to be different; she would make sure of it.

***** Author's Note: I am so sorry for the late update. I know it was only by a few days but I really try to keep the chapters coming at least once a week. Had some unexpected company at the house and got caught up in life stuff. Thankfully, though, everything is back to normal and I will be back on schedule. Thank you everyone for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Next chapter is back to Riku in Neverland! **

**Also, I have been drawing a ton of artwork for this story and made a DeviantArt account just for it. If you are interested, the account name is HinataOC and you are welcomed to take a look at the art. It's just something I have been doing for fun and it helps me to have a visual of what I am writing or reading. Have a wonderful week! *****


	34. Peter Pan

Chapter 34

The ocean breeze filled Riku's senses as he looked out into the ocean hoping to catch sight of the Jolly Roger. He held Wendy's arm in one of his hands even though she was not making any effort to escape him. Seeing the waves roll onto the sand made him feel somewhat nostalgic and sad, wishing he could be back on the island with his friends. He closed his eyes and imagined himself next to the paopu tree with Hinata, Sora, and Kairi. He leaned against the tree nudging Hinata's leg with his elbow as she sat on the tilted trunk with Sora and Kairi. It was those moments that had made the island stay in his heart despite the fact that he had felt trapped. If he could make the island disappear again he knew he probably still would. Leaving his home was what started him on his path of darkness and power. Without leaving he would just be the same old boring kid that liked to have play fights with wooden sticks; yet he still would have had Hinata at his side and Sora would have stayed his friend. Riku sighed, trying to ignore the pang of hurt inside of him as he thought of his friends.

"Why are you doing this?" Wendy broke the silence.

"You'll find out." Riku told her, not wanting her to freak out like Jasmine had. "Don't worry, you'll be safe."

"I'm not worried for me." Wendy admitted, "I just hope Michael and John will be safe."

"They have those others boys and that Pan guy." Riku assured her half-heartedly, "They'll be fine."

After a couple minutes of stillness, Wendy asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"To the Jolly Roger," He informed her, "Or at least I would if I knew where it was. We'll have to wait for Bedivere; with his dragon they should be able to find it."

"Where is he?" She inquired.

Her endless questions were beginning to bother Riku and he told her shortly, "I don't know. Now please, be quiet."

Wendy huffed but remained quiet per Riku's request as he looked around at where he should go. He looked at the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of Eirian or Bedivere. With Bedivere's help, the Jolly Roger would be a breeze to find. Hearing the familiar roar from Eirian, Riku spun around and saw the gwythaint approaching from the distance. He sighed relieved as he saw her approach him and Wendy but then noticed that Bedivere was not on her back. As Eirian landed in the white sand, Riku grabbed Wendy's arm and brought her with him to walk to the gwythaint.

"Where's Bedivere?" Riku asked Eirian. When she only growled in response he scowled, "Hey look, he told me you can understand me. Where is he?" Eirian narrowed her eyes but eventually turned her head towards the thick brush that led to the Mermaid Lagoon. Riku groaned, "You're kidding me. He went to see the mermaids?"

Wendy gasped, "The Mermaid Lagoon? Oh those girls are so bad-mannered!"

"You've met them?" Riku asked incredulously, "They told me they didn't know who you were."

"Well they did try to drown me…" Wendy noted and then huffed, "I didn't even do anything wrong! I just wanted to see them!"

Riku sighed and looked at Eirian, "Watch Wendy, I'm going to get Bedivere. We need his help to find Hook." Eirian only growled in response as if to say that he wasn't the boss of her; in which Riku argued, "You want your master safe don't you? Those mermaids only want to hurt him and he might need my help."

Eirian looked away and hummed in a low grumble; but wrapped her tail protectively around Wendy acknowledging Riku's orders. Riku nodded once he saw Eirian obey and felt his pace quicken at the fact that he actually got her to listen to him. It was exhilarating to be honest and he wondered what it would be like to have one for himself. Shaking the thought away, he looked up at Wendy.

"Stay with Eirian," He ordered her, "If you try to run she'll catch you. So just stay put."

Wendy crossed her arms and looked away but didn't say anything. Riku shook his head, wondering why he was going through so much trouble for the person he summoned. If anything, Bedivere was supposed to be helping him. He ran towards the thick brush, feeling the sand shift under his shoes with each step. Once in the midst of the trees and vines, he pushed his way through the dense greenery. He would have summoned a Dark Corridor, but he was low on energy from finding Wendy and bringing her through a corridor earlier.

After several minutes of wandering he could hear the faint sound of the waterfall and different voices in the distance. Most of the voices were from the mermaids while one stuck out to him, it was Bedivere's. Riku shook his head, he warned Bedivere about them and he knew they were on a mission it didn't make sense that he would push priorities aside for some personal research. That's when he heard Hook's voice and it made him stop in his tracks.

"Where is Wendy?" Hook ordered angrily, getting startled gasps and frightened yelps from the mermaids.

Riku wondered how Hook had gotten to the Lagoon and suddenly wished he had brought Wendy with him rather than keeping her with Eirian. Pushing through one last layer of vines, he appeared in front of the enclosed pond where he had seen the mermaids the first time. All of the girls were on the rock island in the center of the water huddled together as Hook's pirates surrounded the edge of the water. Bedivere stood next to Hook trying to calm him down but Hook would have none of it.

"That brat Riku just took off without saying anything!" Hook ranted, to anyone who would listen, not noticing that Riku had entered the area. "It's my job to find Wendy and now I have to add him to the list!"

"That's what I am trying to tell you," Bedivere calmly repeated himself, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword prepared for everything to turn sour at a moment's notice. "Riku is…"

"I'm right here." Riku announced himself as he pushed past a couple rough looking pirates to approach them. "I got Wendy too. No thanks to you."

Hook looked surprised at Riku but then snarled, "Oh blast it! I don't know why Maleficent put you on my ship; but you are more a pain in the neck than that Peter Pan!"

Riku crossed his arms, "You're mad 'cause I did your job?" Then he scoffed, "If you had just listened to me in the first place none of this would have happened." Motioning his head towards where he came from he informed them, "Wendy's at Cannibal Cove. Let's get moving."

Grumbling, Hook stalked past Riku waving his hooked hand at him but making sure not to strike him like he dearly wanted to. Riku smirked up at Bedivere as Hook and the pirates left the lagoon in which Bedivere only sighed in return.

"You're beginning to sound like Mordred." Bedivere commented once they were alone.

Riku shrugged in return, not sure that was such a bad thing, and went back to the mission, "Eirian is with Wendy at the cove. I told her to stay with her while I got you."

"She listened to you?" Bedivere said surprised then realized, "I suppose if my safety was in question she would."

"Excuse me." A faint girl's voice brought them out of their conversation.

Turning towards the water they saw the red-headed mermaid at the edge of the pond smiling up at them. "Thank you for getting rid of those awful pirates."

Riku forced himself to look away, not wanting to get caught in another trance but Bedivere smiled and knelt down by the girl. "My, you are quite beautiful!" he commented as he went down to her level. "You look just like a young woman I know. Doesn't she Riku?"

"I guess… I didn't notice." Riku lied, forcing a shrug. He could feel the look Bedivere gave him even though he still avoided letting his eyes wander back to the girls.

Bedivere gave a small smile at the young mermaid, "You're quite welcome. I'm just glad all of you are safe."

The mermaid smiled coyly in return and reached her hand up to grasp Bedivere's arm; but Bedivere immediately knew her intentions and sprang to his feet. When he saw the confused look from the girl he placed his forearm over his chest and slightly bowed, "Forgive the rejection, but we are on an urgent mission that requires my full attention. I will have to return at a later date." Turning towards Riku, he nodded, "Shall we then? It would be best to get to Eirian before those men, for their sake."

Riku nodded and closed his eyes, trying to decide if he had enough energy to create a corridor. It seemed urgent to get to the shore quickly so he let he outstretched his hand and forced his mind to focus on Cannibal Cove. Within seconds the connection was made and he felt a surge of energy leave his body to create the black portal. Feeling slightly faint, he lightly wobbled his legs but quickly regained his balance before Bedivere had to support him. He opened his eyes to see the portal and motioned his head towards it to let Bedivere know to enter.

"It's nice to see you again." The red-headed mermaid cooed to Riku and innocently twirled her hair with her slender fingers. "You sure you won't come in for some fun?"

Bedivere stifled a small laugh as Riku's cheeks flushed. Despite his efforts he glanced over at the red-head that reminded him so much of Hinata and felt himself smile. The more he looked at her the more he wanted to forget the mission and get lost in everything her golden eyes promised him. That had to be the siren spell Bedivere had warned him about. He tried to pry his eyes away, it had been much easier before but now he felt glued to her. Seeing that she had his attention she slowly outstretched her hand towards him. Without thinking, Riku took a step towards her when Bedivere grabbed his shoulder and shoved him into the portal.

Riku face-planted onto the smoky floor of the corridor and instantly felt his fogged mind clear up. His cheeks darkened from embarrassment at what he almost did. Trying to focus on something else, he pushed himself to stand and waited for Bedivere to enter. Within seconds Bedivere appeared beside him and looked at their surroundings.

Without looking over at Riku, Bedivere asked, "What sort of place is this?"

Thankful he wasn't addressing what just happened, Riku explained, "It's called a Dark Corridor. I picture where I need to go and it appears."

"Interesting…" Bedivere mumbled, doing a slight spin around to get a good look at everything as they began walking. Once he was facing the right way again he went back to focusing on the mission. "That mermaid nearly had you."

Riku inwardly groaned and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Uh, yeah, thanks for what you did." As Bedivere gave him a slight nod, he noted, "It doesn't make any sense, I was able to avoid them earlier."

"From what I have heard, their spell, I suppose you could call it, has more effect the more exhausted you are. That is why they usually prey upon weary travelers." Bedivere explained then glanced over at Riku. He had noticed Riku wobbling after he summoned the portal. "When is the last time you rested?"

Waving him off Riku told him, "It doesn't matter. Once we get Wendy I can rest all I want."

Bedivere slightly hummed at Riku's answer then thought about the mermaid that Riku had almost fallen victim to. She did look eerily close to Lady Hinata. He had taken notice that Hinata was not at Riku's side. After the way they had been back on Prydain it would be highly unlikely for them to have broken up. Clearing his throat he decided to pry, "Where is Lady Hinata? Did she not accompany you on the mission?"

"She's somewhere else." Riku reluctantly replied. He didn't know why people kept bringing her up. "I'm on my own."

"When I first saw the mermaid I thought it was possible she had been turned into a mermaid herself." Bedivere mused and gave a light chuckle.

Riku half-smiled back but felt his heart sink. Seeing that mermaid only made him miss Hinata more. Sighing, he asked, "Why did you go to the mermaids in the first place?"

Bedivere crossed his arms, "It wasn't planned. I had been riding Eirian out of the area after you took Miss Wendy when I noticed a group of men shouting and talking further inland. I figured it would be worth checking out so I had Eirian drop me on the ground and told her to keep an eye out for you."

Feeling somewhat relieved, Riku nodded in response but remained silent. He was glad Bedivere had been there to retrieve Wendy. The job had been much easier with him and Eirian. They walked in silence, almost to the light when Bedivere brought Riku out of his thoughts.

"How much is the bounty on the girl?" Bedivere asked, getting to business. He may be charming but he still did the job and required payment.

Riku stopped in his tracks; he had completely forgotten that Bedivere would need payment. Of course he would, he was after all a bounty hunter. He tried to figure out what he could give Bedivere when he remembered that Hook was a pirate. Smirking, he informed Bedivere, "Once we get Wendy back to the ship you can take whatever gold you can find."

Bedivere nodded and acknowledged, "That will do quite nicely."

Smiling to himself, Riku just imagined how livid Hook was going to be when he told him that Bedivere was taking his gold. It was going to be quite the sight, he was sure of that. Within seconds they had reached the light and walked through, appearing on the white sand of Cannibal Cove. Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright sun and found that they had arrived before Hook and his men. Once their eyes had adjusted they saw Eirian in the distance, her tail still wrapped around Wendy's legs. Eirian's eyes were narrowed and her horns flat against her neck as she lowly growled.

Bedivere quickened his pace into a run, calling behind to Riku, "She senses someone nearby."

Riku nodded and ran after Bedivere; she was probably sensing Hook if anyone so he wasn't too worried. It wasn't until he saw a small glowing orb of light fly out from the brush that he began to worry. Hook didn't have anything like that with him. Quickening his pace, Riku rushed to see what the glowing orb was when Peter Pan flew up to Eirian and tried to grab Wendy. Eirian snarled and gave a warning snap of her jaws towards Pan as he zipped by her.

As Riku and Bedivere approached Eirian, Peter Pan landed on the sand and placed his hands on his hips giving a huff. "Who are all of you supposed to be?" He glared at them under his bright orange hair and grabbed a small dagger from his green tunic, ordering them. "Let Wendy go!"

Bedivere placed his hand on Eirian's head, motioning her to calm as Riku summoned Soul Eater. He wasn't in the mood to talk out of the situation, if Pan wanted a fight he was going to get one.

Readying Soul Eater, Riku told Pan, "She's coming with us."

"Don't be a codfish!" Pan got a smirk and crossed his arms, "I'm not letting you take Wendy anywhere!"

"Just try to stop us." Riku scoffed.

"Oh Peter do be careful!" Wendy called out.

Without answering, Peter immediately flew towards Riku ready to strike with his dagger. Within seconds their blades clashed and Riku clenched his free hand into a fist and summoned Dark Firaga. He shot it at Pan, but missed as Pan flew out of the way at the last second. Peter Pan flew a few feet away from Riku, dodging the multiple shots of magic that were being shot at him and periodically going in with his dagger only to be blocked by Soul Eater. After a few minutes of fighting, Peter Pan flew backwards and landed on the sand to create some distance between them.

"Why are you trying to taking Wendy?" Pan challenged Riku.

"None of your business," Riku bit, still in a fighting stance. He felt his mind beginning to fog as he felt exhaustion rush over him. Just that small bout made him feel weaker than ever.

Bedivere stood calmly by Eirian and Wendy, keeping a close eye on Peter Pan as he fought with Riku. It seemed that Peter was not as good at fighting as he was at evasion. If he were to stay on the same level as Riku he wouldn't stand much of a chance. Bedivere had seen his type before on his many travels and just by watching the interchange he had a fair grasp on how to handle the situation. Unsheathing his rapier blade, he walked up beside Riku and informed him, "I do believe I can take care of this boy for us. Is he needed alive?"

"You don't need to kill him." Riku told him out of breath. "Just make him stop bothering us."

Nodding at Riku's words, Bedivere placed his handless arm behind his back and readied his blade for Pan.

"Are you looking for a fight now too?" Peter smirked, flying a couple feet off the ground.

"I'll do what is necessary." Bedivere told him.

Riku took a couple steps back and dissipated Soul Eater; Bedivere would have things under control. Peter Pan immediately dove towards Bedivere the same way he had done to Riku but rather than block Pan with his rapier, Bedivere turned out of the way and allowed Pan to swiftly fly past him. As he passed, Bedivere hit his blade on Pan's back; not with enough force to break skin, but just enough to get his attention. The force of the blow caught Pan off guard and caused him to face plant into the sand. Wendy gave a small gasp, worried about her dear friend, but Pan pushed himself up from the ground immediately with slightly flushed cheeks; embarrassed he had actually fallen like he had. He glared momentarily at Bedivere before smirking and flying back into the air to fly behind Bedivere to stick him in the back with his dagger. As he appeared behind Bedivere, however, it was as if he knew what Pan was planning and whipped around and clashed his rapier against Pan's dagger. With a scowl, Peter flew up a couple feet out of Bedivere's reach; he wasn't used to fighting against someone that could counterattack his tricks. He was about to fly in for another attack when a small glowing orb flew in his face. It was his trusted tiny pixie friend Tinker Bell. Her clear wings flapped furiously as she rang her bell language and fisted her tiny hands along the sides of her short green dress.

"I've got to save Wendy, Tink!" Peter told her trying to wave her away.

Tinker Bell pointed towards the brush that led to the Mermaid Lagoon and stomped her tiny feet as she rang a warning. Peter momentarily looked where she pointed and half-heartedly listened to her in the language only a select few understood. His eyes widened when she mentioned Captain Hook, "Hook's coming? Then we have to get Wendy!" Landing on the sand, Peter readied his dagger and copied the stance Bedivere was holding. "You want a fight? Then you'll get one!"

Bedivere did not change his demeanor by the threat and kept his calm as Pan sliced his dagger towards him. Their blades met with a loud clang and back and forth they exchanged blows. Pan was surprised just how well Bedivere held his own against him. Usually at this point, fighting Hook or any of the pirates would be a breeze; however, it almost seemed that Bedivere knew what he was going to do before he even did it. Every time Bedivere would break through Pan's defenses, Pan would fly backwards barely out of reach. Bedivere slightly scowled, he needed to bring an end to the bout if they were going to get anywhere. He glanced over at Riku and motioned his head towards Peter.

Riku watched the two fight under half-opened eyes trying to keep up with everything happening. He noticed Bedivere motion his head towards Peter Pan and tried to figure out what Bedivere wanted him to do. It wasn't like Riku to be completely out of it but from the lack of sleep and the darkness sapping him he was having a hard time staying conscious. Forcing himself to pay attention he watched another series of blows exchange between Bedivere and Pan when he noticed Pan glide backwards once Bedivere finally got the upper hand. He immediately knew what Bedivere wanted him to do. Slowly, as to not get Peter's or that fairy's attention, Riku made his way a few feet behind the flying boy. He summoned Soul Eater and waited for the opportunity to strike. As soon as Bedivere broke through Pan's defenses and Pan did his move to fly backwards, Riku was there to catch him. Once Pan was close enough, Riku grabbed Peter's wrist that held the dagger and tightly squeezed it until Pan dropped his weapon. Riku wrapped his other arm around Pan's shoulder and held Soul Eater against his neck. As much as Peter hated to admit it, he had been bested.

Wendy clasped her hands over her mouth and gasped, "Oh Peter!" Yelling at Riku she ordered, "Don't you dare hurt him!" She winced as Eirian tightened her tail around her for speaking out.

Peter stood proudly with his pointy nose pointed in the air in defiance. "I'll be fine Wendy." He told her confidently.

Bedivere sighed and sheathed his sword as he asked Riku, "Where shall we go next?"

"We are just waiting for Hook." Riku informed him, keeping his grip tight on Peter. "They should have been here already."

"You're working with that codfish?" Peter Pan asked and laughed, "I should have known."

"More like he's working for me," Riku mumbled under his breath.

"I believe the pixie mentioned that those men were approaching." Bedivere noted, "They shouldn't be long now."

Tinker Bell angrily flew around the group and lightly kicked Peter's shoulder as if to say she told him so. As a multitude of voices could be heard approaching from the distance, Tinker Bell frantically darted in front of Pan.

"I'll be fine Tink." Pan assured her, "You need to get out of here."

Crossing her arms, Tinker Bell gave Pan a worried look but then did as she was told, disappearing into the brush. Once she had vanished, Hook and his men burst onto the beach. Hook gave one look to the scene in front of him and immediately grinned when he saw the state Peter was in.

Giving a large laugh he shook his hook towards Pan, "You scurvy brat! We finally have you!" Then looking towards Wendy he did an over-the-top bow and greeted, "And welcome to the crew my lady!" Straightening from his bow he finally took notice of Eirian. Giving a confused look to the creature he pointed towards it, "And what is that?"

"She's a dragon." Riku spoke up.

"Gwythaint," Bedivere clarified taking a few steps towards Hook, "And I am Sir Bedivere. We assisted Riku in retrieving both Peter and Lady Wendy."

"Ah… well you have our thanks." Hook forced a smile and glanced over at Smee, who shrugged in response. They hadn't the slightest idea how Bedivere or his gwythaint had appeared in Neverland.

"Let's hoist anchor as soon as possible." Riku ordered, wanting to get Pan out of his hands. "Where is the ship?"

Hook glared at Riku but cleared his throat and yelled, "Mr. Smee? Call for the Jolly Roger."

Smee saluted and bumbled, "Y-yes Captain!"

Grabbing some sort of device that seemed similar to the black device Riku had for the gummi ship out of a pocket on his shorts, Smee pressed a large button and within a couple silent minutes the wooden ship with large white sails sailed over the beach and landed in the ocean water. Bedivere's mouth gaped open as he saw the ship fly over, that was something he had never seen before and probably never would again.

As the ship landed, Hook motioned to Wendy, "Mr. Smee, retrieve Wendy!"

"Yes Captain!" Smee ran over to Eirian but froze as she began to growl at him.

"Be calm Eirian." Bedivere walked over to Eirian and placed his hand on her head. Reluctantly, she obeyed and loosened her tail around Wendy so Smee could grab the young girl.

As Smee lightly pulled on Wendy's arm he took off his red cap and smiled, "Why thank you!"

Bedivere nodded and gave a small smile in return as he watched Smee take Wendy to the ship. Two burly pirate men walked up to Riku and roughly grabbed Pan's shoulders, forcing him towards the Jolly Roger. Riku dissipated Soul Eater as they took Pan away and walked up to Bedivere.

"You can come aboard to get your bounty," Riku told him.

"That sounds like a grand plan." Bedivere smiled; glad he was going to be paid for his help. "Afterwards I believe it will be high time I returned to Prydain."

"Alright," Riku acknowledged, as they began walking towards the ship and Eirian flew to the sky to follow from afar.

They walked up the wooden planks that led up from the sand to the deck of the ship and as they entered the ship the pirate men were already readying the ship for departure. Hook was downright giddy that he finally had Peter Pan in custody and had him thrown in the brig so he could figure out a proper revenge to have against Pan. He noticed as Bedivere boarded the ship but didn't make much of it as he was too distracted.

Riku motioned towards a large door on the lower deck, "Just come in here."

Walking through the door, Riku led Bedivere into Hook's cabin, the same place he had reappeared after dealing with Monstro. The room was still in the same state he had left it in, including an unconscious Kairi lying on the cushioned bench. Before addressing the bounty, Riku walked over to Kairi and placed his hand on her shoulder worried. He hoped Maleficent would tell him more about Kairi's condition now that he had completed another mission. Forcing himself to look away he pointed towards the back wall that was lined with dark brown treasure chests.

"The gold is over there. Take as much as you want." Riku told him.

Bedivere looked over Kairi, wondering who she was and felt his heart inexplicably sink the longer he gazed at her. "Will she be alright?" He asked, before making his way to the treasure.

Riku knelt by Kairi and confessed, "I'm going to make sure she will be."

Filling his brown satchel with various gold coins, he noted, "She looks a lot like Lady Hinata."

"Huh?" Riku asked looking over Kairi. He never noticed it before but Bedivere was right. They both had similar hair colors and face shapes. "Probably just a coincidence." He shrugged it off.

"Hmm, those seem to be happening quite often of late." Bedivere admitted, closing his satchel once it was full and returning to Riku's side. "Do give Lady Hinata my best wishes."

Riku scoffed, "If I ever see her again I will."

Bedivere placed his hand on Riku's shoulder, "Don't lose hope." Readjusting his now heavy bag he told him, "And I will make sure to let Mordred know you say hello."

"No that's really okay," Riku mumbled but still let a small smile through despite everything he was feeling. After a moment of awkward silence, Riku asked, "So, how are you getting back?"

"The same way I got here." He told him, "Hold that charm and just imagine Eirian and me leaving."

Riku nodded and grabbed the green charm that rested on his chest under his shirt. Giving one last look at Bedivere he reluctantly spoke up, "Thanks."

"It was my pleasure." Bedivere placed his forearm across his chest and slightly bowed.

Closing his eyes, Riku imagined Eirian with Bedivere on her back, flying away. He wasn't sure if that was what Bedivere meant by imagining they were leaving but it was worth a shot. The feeling of the charm beginning to shake violently surprised Riku as it seemed that the connection was made. Within seconds a bright light flashed through the cabin and once Riku's eyes adjusted back to the normal lighting, Bedivere was gone. Placing the charm back under his shirt, Riku looked over at Kairi expectantly, hoping she would open her eyes and giggle; saying that she was only playing and was fine all along. She wasn't going to though, and Riku knew that. Something horrible happened to her and in the pit of his stomach he knew that it was when she pushed him away from the door back on the island. He felt his heart lurch with guilt but he pushed it away; guilt wasn't going to help him any. Sitting on the bench besides Kairi, he finally let himself relax; which ended up setting all the pent up exhaustion loose. All at once he felt his muscles ache and his eye lids become extraordinarily heavy. He had to sleep; he didn't know how well he was going to be able to with everything going on but he had to try. Now that Wendy had been retrieved it would only be a matter of time until Maleficent showed up and he needed to be at full attention for that.

Wobbling to his feet, he made his way out of the cabin to look for a place to sleep. He thought about sleeping in the cabin but didn't want to be there when Hook found out that some of his gold was missing. He pushed open a wooden door and sighed relieved when he saw rows of tan hammocks hanging from the ceiling. Making his way into the room he laid down in the hammock in the farthest corner of the room. Once he was lying down he took off his shoes and placed his hands behind his head. Lightly rocking the bed back and forth, Riku let his mind go over everything that had happened recently. His mind slowly began to drift off into sleep when he heard Hook's voice yell angrily from the other room.

"Mr. Smee!" Hook yelled, "Where is my gold?"

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! We are nearing the end of the story; I think only 6 more chapters at the most. I hope everyone has been enjoying it so far and thank you for coming along for the ride. It's been quite the adventure writing this and I am already getting the story-board done for the second one. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think! *****


	35. Cold Company

Chapter 35

Hinata swiveled in the chair in the gummi ship cockpit. Stretching her legs she felt incredibly thankful to have two feet again rather than the large fish tail she had grudgingly gotten used to. She had to admit, it was nice to be out of the water even though it was bittersweet to say goodbye to all the other mermaids. Sora was still on Atlantica finishing up a few things before heading back to his own ship while Hinata's gummi ship was already on route to the next world. Hinata vaguely remembered being awoken in the mermaid's room by Donald after Ursula was defeated. She was still out of it and her mind was blurred; she barely registered Sora telling her to go back to her ship to rest. Saying goodbye to the girls would have been hard if Hinata had been fully there but in the state she was in she couldn't even recall saying anything to them as a farewell.

Looking out the windshield, Hinata absently watched the stars fly by as the ship flew to the next world. She wasn't sure where she was going even though she was sure Chip and Dale had told her multiple times when they were setting up the ship's navigation. All she knew was that she was on her way somewhere new and that meant one less world until they would go after Riku. Feeling her head spin, Hinata leaned forward and rested her face in the palms of her hands. Her breathing became short as her wound from Ursula throbbed more intensely from her sudden movement. She was a wreck, even with the healing from Donald and the ointment Alana had made for her, she wasn't going to be fighting again any time soon; so much for being a help to Sora. Donald was going to continue treatments on her until she was completely healed. Apparently she was cut so deep that a mere healing spell wasn't going to fix her up. It was going to take a while before she was fully operational again. Hinata groaned into her hands, this wasn't the state she should have been in. She should have been more careful before recklessly charging Ursula.

Forcing herself to sit up, Hinata reached her hand behind her and felt that her hair was still in the braid the girls had done it in. She felt the petals of a flower and plucked it from her hair so she could get a good look at it. It was an almost translucent white with thinner petals than the flowers on land had. Hinata traced the visible white veins in the petal with her finger and tried to think back to the mermaid sisters in an attempt to clear her fogged mind. She was having trouble remembered their faces even though she had just seen them mere hours before. Sighing, Hinata swiveled her chair to the right and saw the brown satchel with the journal inside lying on the floor. Grabbing the edge of the control board with her free hand, she pushed herself to stand feeling her legs wobble as she took her first step. She grabbed the satchel off the floor and slowly made her way out of the cockpit into the other room. Reaching one of the beds, she lowered herself to lie down on top of the covers and pulled out the journal.

"The best way to remember is to write it down before you forget." She assured herself in a quiet whisper.

Her head ached as she forced herself to think back to everything that happened on Atlantica. She wrote everything she could even if it didn't make sense, just trying to get it all out. The more she wrote the clearer her thoughts became. She looked up from her journal towards the table where her blades, the black device, and the picture taken in the garden lay. Sora had come aboard her ship to bring her supplies back for her as she was too out of it really function before heading back down to Atlantica. She vaguely remembered him walking around the ship making comments of how it was different than the one he rode with Donald and Goofy. Chuckling to herself, she wished she had been paying more attention so she could have heard what he said. Putting down the journal, she felt a small amount of energy beginning to build inside of her from so much rest and pushed herself to stand. She walked over to the table and picked up the photo of her with the rest of the mermaid sisters. She smiled as she looked at all of their silly faces while she and Attina simply smiled. Absently waving the photo in her hand, she turned around and went to grab the journal. Opening her journal once she grabbed it she placed the photo and the white flower she had been looking at earlier inside the pages. She closed and put the journal onto the table then made her way to the bathroom so she could begin undoing the braid and taking out the flowers. She wasn't sure what type of world she was going to end up in next, but she would much rather not have a truckload of flowers in her hair while she was travelling.

After several minutes, the last flower was taken out and Hinata's hair was back to normal; well spare for her hair being uncontrollably curly due to the braids. With one look in the mirror, Hinata laughed at the way she looked. She had to admit it was interesting to see her hair in different styles but this was one she could do without. In the back of her mind she could imagine Riku stifling a laugh if he had been there to see her new do. Feeling her heart slightly sink at the thought of him, she pushed it out of her mind and decided it was time to take a shower if she wanted her hair completely back to its straight ways. She turned on the water and went in for less than five seconds before rushing out of it. All it took was a couple sprays to hit her chest before she was grudgingly reminded of the injury that stung unbearably at even the slightest touch. Grumbling under her breath, Hinata got back in her clothes and went back to lie on the bed. She was going to have to deal with her wildly curly hair even if it meant letting Sora, Donald, and Goofy see it. She could already hear the raspy quacks of laughter from Donald and groaned at the thought of it. Lowering herself onto the bed she cozied herself under the covers and felt her eyelids once again become heavy. The small bout of energy was already gone. Yawning, Hinata fell asleep dreaming of the island.

After several hours an automated voice came over the intercom, startling Hinata awake. "You have arrived at your destination. Please beam down whenever is convenient."

Calming her racing heart after hearing the unexpected voice, Hinata stretched her stiff muscles and got out of the bed. She walked towards the cockpit to see the world below and cocked her head to the side at the sight. It was round like the other worlds she had seen but it almost seemed like it was split into different sections. Each section was completely different than the other. The one Hinata's ship was above was white with different colored lights shining from the surface. Another part opposite of the area Hinata was looking at was dark and almost seemed gloomy. There were many different areas, but only those two really stuck out to Hinata. Sora and his ship weren't going to arrive for a few more hours and Hinata knew he would probably prefer her to wait on the ship for him; but curiosity was swiftly getting the best of her.

Taking a long look at the white sparkling section, Hinata couldn't help but smile. She felt as if her heart was being overtaken with joy, which was something she hadn't felt in quite a while. Without thinking, Hinata went to grab her blades and the satchel to put her journal inside. Tightening her sheaths around her hips she walked back to the cockpit and shrugged, "It wouldn't hurt to at least look around."

Nodding to herself, she pressed the button that allowed her to beam to the planet and within seconds she appeared on the world's surface. Her eyes were closed but she shivered as a chilling wind passed through her. Opening her eyes she felt her mouth gape open at the sight before her. She stood on top of a snowy hill overlooking a small town that was lit up with dozens of colorful lights. Pine trees decorated with ornaments and lights speckled the hill leading down to the town. Feeling herself grin, Hinata instantly headed down the hill towards the town. She didn't know where she was but she was feeling giddier by the second. Reaching the bottom of the hill she approached a tall sign that was held up by candy caned colored poles.

Looking up at the sign she read it aloud, "Christmas Town?"

She instantly darted her gaze around the town before her. A carousel spun peacefully in the center of the area where it seemed like small children with rather pointy hats rode on it giggling. Bustling through the area were cheerful children carrying various packages and playing different games. Hinata looked around and took note that she didn't see any adults around although the kids didn't seem like they minded; they were taking good care of themselves. Taking a few steps forward to actually immerse herself into the town, a few of the children stopped what they were doing and gasped at the sight of Hinata. She mentally face palmed, realizing that she was towering over all of them and it was painfully obvious she wasn't from around there.

Rubbing the back of her neck she chuckled uncomfortably, "Oh um… hi?"

"Does Hermey know you're here?" Hinata heard a small girl's voice, causing her to look down to see a short girl in a pink dress and a long pointy pink hat. "He doesn't like late workers."

Hinata knitted her eyebrows in confusion, "What? I think you have the wrong idea. I'm not from around here."

A few of the children who strangely had rather grown up sounding voices laughed at Hinata's words when the girl in front of her scoffed, "Well obviously, come on I'll show you to the toy factory."

"Toy factory?" Hinata asked as she reluctantly followed the girl and laughed, "Christmas Town, toy factory? Next you're going to tell me you're elves working for Santa Clause."

The girl in front of her instantly stopped walking and turned around wide eyed at her. Hinata glanced around noticing that all of the surrounding chatter had fallen silent and all eyes were on her. Her eyes slowly widened as she began to piece everything together.

"Wait…" She began trying to make sure she was right so she wouldn't make a fool of herself, "You're actually elves?" When the children who Hinata was beginning to realize weren't really children at all gave her strange looks she blurted out, "Does that mean Santa's real?"

The sound of a door being slammed shut caught Hinata's attention as a short stout blonde elf wearing tan overalls and carrying a clipboard came stalking towards her. "There you are!" He boomed at her in a small voice that made Hinata cover her mouth so he wouldn't see her smile. "You recruits are always late!"

"Recruits?" Hinata repeated and then smiled, "Recruits to work for Santa?"

The elf looked up from his clipboard at Hinata then turned to look at the girl elf beside him, "Did she not watch the training video?" When the girl shook her head he groaned and looked back at Hinata, "You're from Saint Patti's Town right? Just because you are well known for drinking and your parties does not mean you get to skip out on training!"

Hinata placed her hands on her hips, "Saint what now? What makes you think I'm from there? And I'm not a recruit!"

"Your red hair and the ears give it away Missy!" He pointed a finger towards her. "All you Leprechauns have them. And if you aren't a recruit why are you wearing the uniform?"

Hinata was dumbfounded, "What's a Leprechaun?" Then she shook her head, "Wait, a uniform?" That's when she realized that she hadn't even looked at herself to see if she looked any different. Worried about what she was going to see she gulped and forced herself to look down at her clothes. She wrinkled her nose at what she saw; lots and lots of pink. She wore a dark pink sleeveless jumper with a high necked long sleeve bubblegum pink shirt underneath. Under the tiny shorts of the jumper were bright white and purple striped tights that went into brown boots that curled at the tip. She knitted her brows in confusion when she noticed that her sheathed blades were not at her sides. In fact, nothing from the ship she had grabbed was with her; spare for the black device which Hinata noticed was clipped to the top of her jumper.

Deciding she would address her missing equipment later she reluctantly reached her hand behind her head to feel the state of her hair when she groaned, "You've got to be kidding me." Her hair was no longer curly but in two round buns, one on either side of her head behind her now pointy ears, as well as a long pointy pink hat with a heart on the tip. Letting out a deep breath, Hinata plopped her arms on her hips exasperated, "Well I look ridiculous."

Her cheeks flushed as she heard the crowd of small elves giggling, obviously agreeing that she did indeed look ridiculous. The other girl elves wore the same thing except it looked cute on them since they were so tiny; not on a full grown teenager human.

The male elf in front of Hinata strummed his fingers along his clipboard, "If you are done stalling it is high time you get to work!"

Without waiting for Hinata to respond he turned and pointed towards the building he came from. It was a tall two story factory lit up with white Christmas lights. Hinata was about to try once again explaining that she wasn't that Leprechaun thing they called her but she was beginning to become anxious being in front of the crowd. Sighing, she gave in walked towards the factory.

Approaching the door she entered and was surprised to see a cozy furnished room. Green garland laced along the walls and a warm brick fireplace brought welcomed warmth from the icy tundra outdoors. A seemingly comfortable chair sat in front of a table where a plate of cookies and a glass of milk sat on top.

Hinata took a few steps into the room and asked the male elf as he followed her inside, "So… is Santa here?"

The elf rolled his eyes, "He's out with the reindeer watching the flight classes. He'll be back. Not that you'll be seeing him."

"What?" Hinata turned to look at the elf, "Why not?"

"None of the recruits get to meet him. Now let's get moving to the toy workshop." He turned to begin walking to the other room.

"I already told you that I'm not a recruit!" She called after him.

"You're still going on about that?" He scoffed crossing his arms.

Hinata put her hands on her hips, "Of course I am! I'm telling you the truth. I'm not even from here or any town around here."

This caused the elf to turn around, "Where are you from?"

"Uh…" Hinata fumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck, "Somewhere far away?"

The elf gave her an unamused look as he pointed towards a door that led to the workshop, "Just get to work."

Hinata sighed and stood her ground, "Why can't you get the other elves to do it? Can't I just wait here for Santa to come back?"

Grumbling under his breath the elf scribbled something on his clipboard. "You are being unbelievably difficult!" Taking a deep breath he resigned, "Alright, fine. If you complete a shift I'll take you to see Santa."

Grinning, Hinata quickly nodded, "Alright, you have a deal! Just…" She paused placing her hand over the wound above her chest, thankful that her shirt was covering it up, "Make sure it isn't anything too heavy. I got hurt recently and can't do much."

"Don't worry." The elf told her, glad he was finally getting her to work. After a few moments of silence of leading Hinata to the workshop he told her, "I am Hermey. I'm the one in charge of getting the toys done for Christmas."

Hinata looked around at all the chutes and machines that made various trinkets as she followed Hermey. Realizing he was waiting for her to respond she told him, "I'm Hinata. So what will I be doing?"

"The recruits work in the packaging department." Hermey told her as he led her up two ramps that led to the second level. "Just catch the toys in the box."

Nodding, Hinata noted, "Sounds easy enough." Then she momentarily stopped walking, "Wait… catch the toys?"

As she asked she realized that they were now in the packaging room. The floor was checkered tile with tan and blue tiles and candy cane striped poles were spaced evenly against the walls. Another green garland lined the upper walls and empty boxes were piled high against the back of the room. As Hinata approached the boxes she noticed a red cannon filled to the brim with toys. Looking at it, it seemed to be almost five times as big as Hermey; there was no way he or the other elves could easily operate it themselves.

Placing her hand on the cannon she surmised, "So I take it I shoot this cannon at the boxes and it fills them with toys?"

Hermey walked up beside her and scribbled something down on his clipboard, "No, although that does seem like something we should look into doing." Putting away his clipboard for the moment he walked Hinata over to the boxes along the wall. "The cannon shoots automatically. Your job is to catch the toys in the boxes."

Grabbing a large tan box with gold lining, Hinata spun it between her hands ignoring the glare she got from Hermey; most likely for not being careful with it. She walked in front of the cannon and took a few steps back readying the box. "Alright, sounds easy enough. Let's get started."

Hermey shook his head sighing and pressed a red button that caused the cannon to light up and whir awake. Without warning it shot a plush teddy bear at Hinata at crazy fast speeds. Hinata had to run a couple of steps to catch it and the reverberation from the bear hitting her box caused her to slightly tense up as her wound instantly stung in protest. Ignoring the pain, she shook her head and prepared herself for the next toy. The cannon did not shoot in the same direction each time causing Hinata to run around the room trying to catch them.

As she ran she called out to Hermey, "You know this isn't very efficient!"

Scribbling random notes onto his clipboard Hermey mockingly mimicked Hinata's voice under his breath. He may have been working for Santa but he still had his own attitude problems.

After several minutes of running around and filling various boxes, Hinata's breaths became shallow and despite the cold air she was feeling beads of sweat forming on her skin. Even though the cannon was continuing to fire she slowed to a stop to catch her breath. Her wound was throbbing as if scolding her for being reckless and running around when she was supposed to be taking things easy.

"Your shift isn't over!" Hermey scolded her.

Hinata leaned her hands on her knees and waved one of her arms dismissively at Hermey. "Forget it, I'm done."

Huffing, Hermey slammed his tiny fist on the red button and the cannon whirred to a stop. He wrote a few more things on his clipboard before telling Hinata, "You're right about one thing. You most certainly are not a recruit! You're supposed to work all day."

Hinata forced herself to stand up straight and chuckled, "Man what I wouldn't do for their stamina. Can I see Santa now?"

"You didn't even complete a whole shift!" Hermey pointed out.

"Yeah, but I told you before I started I got hurt and can't do much." Hinata argued hoping her work was not done in vain. "I did what I could."

Hermey strummed his fingers along his clipboard trying to figure out what to do when bells could be heard from the other room. Small cheers from other elves rang from the lower level and a hearty laugh from a man Hinata instantly recognized.

"It's Santa!" She exclaimed feeling slightly foolish for getting so excited. Without waiting to see what Hermey was going to say, she bolted out of the room feeling her heart flutter with anticipation. She felt even giddier than she had on Christmas morning back on the islands.

Rushing out of the room she ignored her already exhausted pained body and headed towards the bottom level of the factory, back to the entrance where she was sure Santa was. Reaching the room she felt her body freeze in place as she saw him in front of her. He was shorter that she thought he would be. His back was to her and all that could be seen was a stout man wearing a large red coat and a pointy red hat. He was chatting with a few elves when the elves noticed Hinata. They fell silent, leaving the room as Santa turned around and smiled through his long white beard when he saw her.

"It's good to see you Hinata." He told her in a deep voice, "Your presents were beginning to pile up while you were gone."

Being brought out of her trance Hinata asked confused, "While I was gone?"

"What brings you to our humble town?" Santa passed over her question and walked towards the chair in front of the table. He sat down, motioning for Hinata to sit across from him.

She was about to tell him there was nowhere for her to sit when a small plush red chair appeared. Clearing her throat she laughed uncomfortably and forced her shaking feet to carry her over to the chair. Sitting down she told him, "It's a long story." She paused as she stared at the man in front of her, "I can't believe you're real."

Santa chuckled, "You wouldn't believe how much I hear that." Reaching for a cookie on the table he asked, "Now what do you want to talk about?"

Hinata's mind went blank. She rubbed her hands together and laughed, "I have no idea. I guess I never expected to ever actually get to talk with you." Thinking it over for a moment she mused, "So you travel to every world in the galaxy all in one night?" When Santa nodded she asked, "How do you do it? That's impossible!"

Smiling, Santa told her, "That's a secret I'll take to my grave; and I am immortal so you'll be waiting for an answer for quite a long time."

Not expecting that answer, Hinata laughed, "Oh fine, keep your secret." Putting her hand to her chin she thought of another question, "Am I on the nice list?"

"Ho well let's see," Santa laughed reaching behind his chair and bringing out the long list. Hinata leaned over the side of her seat to peek behind his chair; there was no way the list fit back there unseen. It was like he pulled it out of thin air. She sat back up straight as Santa answered her question, "Yes you are. You helped your sister selflessly many times over the years."

Hinata leaned forward in her chair, "My sister? Do you know where she is?"

"It isn't my place to say," Santa told her and when he noticed her tighten her grip on the arms of her chair he added, "However, I can tell you that she is closer than you think."

Leaning back in her chair with a sigh she felt both relieved and slightly bothered. At least she knew she was alive. Looking back up she reluctantly asked, "What about… Riku? Is he on the nice list?"

Without even having to look at the list Santa shook his head. Hinata sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of her nose; even though it was obvious that he wouldn't be with everything he was doing it still hurt to hear.

"There is still good in him." Santa noted causing Hinata to look up. "Don't give up on him."

Hinata gave a small smile, "I promise." Clearing her throat to change the subject, she asked, "Have there been any Heartless here?"

Santa shook his head, "Thankfully no; however, Maleficent has had her eye on our town for quite some time." Noticing the surprised look from Hinata he nodded, "She has been on the naughty list for as long as I have been Kris Kringle."

Crossing her arms, Hinata noted, "You sure know a lot of stuff."

"That tends to happen when you have been around as long as I have doing what I do." Santa retorted, grabbing another cookie.

"I suppose you won't tell me anything about my past." Hinata said slightly annoyed, "You've been dodging all my questions about it."

"It isn't my place to say. It's something you have to discover on your own." Santa told her.

"Will I ever remember everything?" She asked.

"I can't tell the future," He pointed out, "I can only tell you what you need to know now."

"Well what do I need to know now?" She inquired placing her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward.

Santa rolled up the list and put it away before telling her, "While you were gone…"

"What do you mean when you say 'while I was gone'?" Hinata interrupted, "When was I gone? My world was destroyed and I went straight to Destiny Islands."

"Did you?" Santa challenged.

"What?" Hinata sat up and placed her hands on the arm rests; piecing everything together in her mind or at least trying to. "Are you saying that after my world was destroyed I didn't go straight to the islands?" When Santa didn't reply she asked, "Where did I go?"

Santa shook his head, "I do not know; however, when you get back to your vessel I do believe you'll find things that may help jog your memory."

Feeling anticipation building up, Hinata momentarily pushed it aside and asked, "Is Hollow Bastion my home, or at least what's left of it?"

"You do ask quite a lot of questions." Santa laughed and shook his head, "I have said everything I need to say."

"You never finished what you were going to say before." Hinata noted, wanting to get as much information as she could. "I'm sorry I interrupted before."

"I was expecting you to." Santa admitted with a chuckle, "I've seen you grow up. I know how you are going to react even before you do."

Hinata crossed her arms and laughed, "That's a little creepy honestly. You know me better than I do."

Santa was about to respond when Hermey burst into the room, "Mr. Clause! I have a report on our newest recruit Hinata." He told Santa handing him the clipboard he had been writing on.

"Uh oh…" Hinata mumbled slumping into her chair. She knew Hermey wasn't exactly fond of her.

Grabbing the clipboard with a smirk, Santa put on a small pair of glasses before reading aloud, "Let's see here; Miss Hinata stalls her work and lollygags."

"What?" Hinata broke in before Santa cleared his throat to continue.

"She complains constantly, is reckless with factory property, does little work, and what little she does is poorly done." Santa continued.

"Now that's just not true," Hinata objected, "Let alone fair!"

Hermey had his arms crossed as he rapidly tapped his foot on the ground. "Maybe you should have thought of that before giving a poor performance."

Hinata stood from her chair and stalked over to Hermey. She towered over him by a few feet but he stared back undeterred.

"Now, now, calm down both of you." Santa chuckled, he found Hermey's list amusing. Then he addressed Hinata, "Are you sure you should have been working with the state you're in?"

"You know about that?" Hinata asked surprised, looking away from Hermey and up to Santa. "That literally just happened less than a day ago." Placing her hands on her hips she mused, "I guess the song is true."

"What song?" Hermey spoke up. He may have been a grump but he always had time for a good song.

"Oh you know, the one about Santa coming to town" Hinata told them, "In the chorus it says that Santa knows when you're awake and sleeping." Slightly shivering she admitted, "I always found that a little creepy."

Santa belly laughed at her words, "I don't watch you sleep if that is what you are thinking."

"Why don't you sing it?" Hermey asked getting excited.

Hinata laughed, "Unless you think the sound elephant seals make is nice to listen to you don't want to hear me sing."

"What's an elephant seal?" Hermey asked; his grump attitude was melting away as he thought about different Christmas songs.

"You don't want to know." Hinata assured him, "I saw them a lot back on the islands and their sounds remind me of me when I sing; which is basically never."

Hermey slumped his shoulders and walked out of the room; disappointed that the prime opportunity for a song had been missed.

"I always liked your singing voice." Santa noted as he walked up to Hinata holding her brown satchel and weapons. "Here are your things. When you came down here from your vessel I had them taken here so you would not be seen as a threat by the elves."

With a smile, Hinata gratefully grabbed her things. "Thank you. I was wondering what happened to them."

"Now it would be best if you made your way back to your ship." Santa told her as she strapped her sheathed swords around her hips. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy have landed in Halloween Town."

Looking up surprised Hinata asked, "How do I get there?"

"You're not." Santa told her sternly. "With the way you recklessly worked you overexerted yourself. You will not heal if you continue to act this way."

Hinata sighed, "I can't just sit around while Sora does all the work. Plus Riku and Kairi need me."

"If you do not take care of yourself you will only cause a hindrance." Santa told her bluntly. He liked to avoid that tone, but he knew it was the only way to get through to Hinata. "Rest and recover, then you can help."

Placing her hands around the hilts of her sheathed blades Hinata looked up at the ceiling. Giving a slight groan she resigned, "Alright fine. I'll go back to the ship and rest." Closing her eyes she chuckled, "I'm taking ordered from Father Christmas, every day just keeps getting stranger."

Santa placed his hand on her arm and smiled, "You'll get used to it." When Hinata smiled back he nodded, "Now off with you. Be sure to be careful."

Hinata playfully saluted as she grabbed the black device with her other hand, "Will do 'dad'" She joked. Before she pressed the button to beam her back to the ship she told him seriously, "Thank you… for everything."

When Santa nodded and smiled she pressed the button and immediately beamed back up to the gummi ship in the cockpit. Once aboard, she looked out the windshield at the world below and smiled before turning around to walk to the other room. As the door to the cockpit slid closed behind her she noticed a pile of beautifully wrapped presents on the table. She walked to the table and lifted a square box wrapped with shimmering gold wrapping paper and a large red bow on top.

"Where…" She began to ask when she widened her eyes, "These must be the things Santa talked about." Passing the box from one hand to the other she felt her pace quicken, "They are supposed to jog my memory."

Looking up from the box in her hands she counted all of the presents. On top of the table lay six beautifully wrapped presents and then on one of the chairs was a large almost coffin shaped gift wrapped in an odd black stringy wrapping. Altogether, including the one in her hands, there were eight of them. Sitting down in the free empty chair, Hinata felt her hands slightly shake. She was beyond eager to remember her past but she had no idea what she was getting into. Feeling her voice shake she asked herself, "What if I don't like what I remember?" Taking a deep breath she assured herself, "It doesn't matter. I need to remember the good and the bad."

Nodding her head in conviction, she ripped away the golden wrapping paper to reveal a dark blue box. Opening the box she found three light blue popsicles that were somehow almost magically still cold and un-melted. Lifting one of the ice-creams out of the box she asked aloud, "Why are there three of them? They'll melt before I'm even finished with the first one."

She looked at the light blue popsicle in her hand and felt her mouth water. Shrugging, she lifted it to her mouth and took a bite; widening her eyes the moment the flavor met her taste buds. She quickly took it out of her mouth as she remembered, "Sea-salt ice cream!" In the back of her mind she heard a familiar voice say, "Got it memorized?"

Placing the ice cream back in her mouth, Hinata looked back at the box with the other two popsicles. Something in her mind was trying to break through, as if the memory was there but it was trapped. She thought about the voice she heard; she remembered whoever it was said that a lot, almost annoyingly so. Both she and Isa thought so.

With her mouth still full of ice cream Hinata blurted out, "Isa!" Pulling the popsicle out of her mouth she remembered, "Me, Isa, and…" Her voice trailed off, "Oh, what's his name?"

Leaning back in her chair, Hinata closed her eyes and took another bite of the salty but sweet treat. She allowed the itching sensation in her mind to make its way through her, creating an image in her mind. Various colored flowers surrounded a large stone courtyard where small waterfalls fell into a stream that outlined the area. Hinata stood in the center with her arms crossed. Her red hair was in the usual high ponytail while she wore a tight dark green tank top with an oval cut out on her back. She wore black shorts and a golden belt. Ignoring the beautiful flowers and staring at the sky while leaning back and forth on her black shoes, she groaned, "Where is he?"

"Why are you asking me? He said he had something important to show us." A familiar male voice could be heard beside her.

Hinata turned her gaze from the sky and looked over at the boy standing next to her. His bright blue hair was down past his ears while the back of his head was spiked. He wore a long navy blue jacket lined with a light blue and a yellow crescent moon on the right side. His pants were a dusty white while his shoes were black. Both of his arms were pressed against his back as he stretched looking equally as impatient as Hinata.

"I don't know why he's insisting on meeting us." The boy, who Hinata was recognizing as Isa, spoke up, "Master told us we need to be practice our techniques."

Sighing, Hinata looked around at the flowers, "I can sort of see where he's coming from. We don't get to just hang out anymore. It's always school or sparring. Then we have that organization thing coming up that Master keeps going on about. Who knows how much we'll all see each other once that starts."

Isa only harrumphed in response, not being one to talk often. They stood in comfortable silence as they waited for their other friend when they could hear approaching footsteps. Turning towards the sound they saw their fiery red headed friend approaching them with a grin.

"You guys made it!" He cheered as he approached them. His bright red spiked hair bounced as he ran and his emerald eyes lit up as he saw Isa and Hinata awaiting him. He wore a yellow scarf over a white tank top and orange sleeveless vest. His tan capris were baggy above his red shoes. Once he reached his friends he lifted his hands to show three light-blue popsicles. "Ta-dah! I told you I had something special!"

He handed both Hinata and Isa a popsicle, beaming as Isa scoffed, "You seriously had us skip out on practice for ice cream?"

"Not just any ice cream," Their excitable friend pointed out, "It's sea-salt ice cream!" Tapping a finger on his head he smirked, "Got it memorized?"

"Seriously Lea," Hinata spoke up with a laugh, "Do you have to say that every chance you get?"

Lea waved her off, "Yeah, yeah, eat your ice-cream. Don't get mad until you try it."

Isa and Hinata both put the ice cream in their mouths and took it out surprised.

"It's salty…" Isa noted, not sure about what he thought

"But also sweet!" Hinata finished, happily taking another bite, "I bet my family would go crazy over this."

Lea leaned his elbow on Hinata's shoulder, "See? What did I tell you? Totally worth skipping out on practice!"

Hinata nodded, "I'll admit it; you did good."

"It's still debatable." Isa posited, deciding that the ice cream was worth another taste.

They three of them stayed there enjoying the popsicles together, talking and laughing about different things. When they were almost done Hinata spoke up, "I wish we could do stuff like this more often."

"Once we're in that organization group we will be able to spend all sorts of time together!" Lea assured her. "The three of us will be together forever; eating ice cream every day."

Isa chuckled finally finishing the popsicle as Hinata spoke up, "I hope you're right."

The vision in her mind slowly began to shatter as Hinata was brought back to reality. Opening her eyes she found herself back in the gummi ship alone. She took the popsicle out of her mouth as it somehow still remained frozen and looked down at the box with the other two popsicles; they too remained in perfect shape, no doubt a touch from Santa.

Looking at the box she pieced together what each of the presents were, "These are the things I wanted more than anything… The things I wished for." Lifting another wrapped gift she concluded, "The things I wanted for Christmas."

Putting the popsicle back in her mouth she thought about Lea and Isa. "How could I have forgotten about them?" She asked herself taking a bite.

She felt her eyes sting with the familiar tears as she remembered them. They were her best friends, they did everything together; and she just forgot about them as if they were nothing. Opening the rest of the presents wasn't going to be an easy task.

***** Author's Note- I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I apologize it was a little late. I wanted to make sure I got Hinata, Isa, and Lea done right (I hope that turned out well). Please let me know what you think! I genuinely appreciate every piece of feedback. Have a wonderful week! *****


	36. Discoveries

Chapter 36

Hinata ate the rest of her ice cream before moving on to the next present. She looked over the gifts on the table in front of her and reached out her hand to grab a rectangular gift wrapped in blue with curled white ribbon. Pulling it towards her, she was surprised by how heavy it was and put it on her lap. She tugged at the tip of the ribbon pondering aloud, "I wonder what Santa meant when he mentioned my presents were piling up while I was gone… where did I go?" Looking up she recounted the presents, eight of them all together. Her eyebrows knitted together in deep thought as she mused, "If these are supposed to be my Christmas presents does that mean each present represents a year?" Feeling her heart quicken at the thought of somehow being gone for years she said, "But that doesn't make any sense; how is that possible?"

Her hands began shaking as she tried to comprehend her thoughts. She wanted to deny the premise but somehow she knew that it was true; even if she didn't quite know how yet. Clenching her fists in attempt to calm them, Hinata took a deep breath. If she was going to figure it out she had to remain stable. Once again focusing her attention on the present in her lap she undid the ribbon and began ripping away the blue paper.

"Maybe opening the rest of the presents will help." She told herself as the paper revealed a book on sword techniques. Hinata looked confused at the book for a moment and asked, "Did I really want a book about swordplay more than anything else?"

She examined the brown textbook that had fancy lettering of the words 'The Art of Swordplay' written on the front. It seemed like something she would obviously be interested in but to want it more than anything for Christmas seemed like a far stretch. Opening the book she began to finger through the pages, looking over the content inside hoping it would trigger a memory of some sort. There were lists and drawn demonstrations of various attacks and techniques for every style of blade in existence. Hinata stopped the page on the chapter of dao swords. Running her finger along the name of the chapter she thought back to the sparring room she had imagined during her performance in Agrabah. Then in her mind there had been someone watching her; someone she dearly wanted to impress.

Under her breath, Hinata whispered, "Master… our sparring teacher." Suddenly a flash of amber eyes went across her mind making Hinata wince as if in pain; they were the same color as the man she saw in Hen Wen's vision. Her voice shaking, Hinata asked, "Why am I thinking of the vision now?"

Trying to qualm her racing heart, Hinata flipped through a few more pages of the book trying to remember her Master. She, Lea, and Isa all had the same teacher, she recalled that; but every time she tried to remember what he looked like the same amber eyes would rush into her mind. Closing the book, she set it on the bed behind her; she couldn't focus.

Hinata placed her hand on her forehead as it was beginning to throb. Tightly closing her eyes she tried to make the pain go away when her mind went to the sparring room she had imagined back in Agrabah; only this time she saw other people in the room. She saw herself standing in the room wearing a black t-shirt and long white pants holding dao swords behind her back. Lea stood across from her wearing the same outfit spinning red chakrams in the palms of his hands while Isa stood against the wall in the same apparel observing his friends.

"Begin," A deep voice ordered them and instantly Lea and Hinata engaged in a sparring match. The man that spoke could not be seen but Hinata began recognizing his voice. As she watched herself fight against Lea, the voice began scolding them, "Hinata, watch your foot placement! Lea, stop focusing so much on defense and be more offensive!"

Lea jumped back to be out of Hinata's range before retorting, "I'd love to, if only Hina would give me an opening!"

"Make one!" The voice ordered before Hinata caught up to Lea and knocked him down.

Hinata smirked as she spun her blades victoriously in her hands and laughed, "Better luck next time."

"Yeah, well I'll beat you one of these days." Lea assured her, sprawling on the ground. "Hinata's really gotten good hasn't she Master?"

"Her technique still needs a lot of work." He replied without much thought when a vibrating sound buzzed through the air, "I have work to attend to at the lab. Continue your sets. And Hinata," He waited for Hinata to look up before continuing, "You still have yet to understand the true art of swordplay. Your technique is sloppy. I expect a full detailed report on dao sword techniques by tomorrow."

Without waiting for a reply from her, he left, leaving the three of them alone in the room. Hinata tightened her grip on her blades but remained silent as Lea spoke up, "Man, nothing impresses that guy."

Walking over to one of the weapon racks, Hinata haughtily placed the dao swords on it and whispered. "Yeah…"

"We need to continue our sets." Isa reminded Hinata, pushing himself off the wall.

Hinata scoffed as she headed to the exit of the sparring room, "I'm not in the mood. You guys go on without me. I'll be in the library."

With that she left the sparring room and the memory shattered in Hinata's mind, bringing her back to reality. She opened her eyes to find herself back on the gummi ship but her mind throbbing even more painfully than before. Rubbing her eyes she groaned, "I sure hope this won't happen with every present I open."

"Hinata," Chip's voice caused Hinata to take her hands away from her eyes, "Hinata can you hear me?"

Confused, Hinata got out of her chair and followed Chip's voice to the cockpit when she saw his face on the call screen. She smiled when she saw him and called out to him, "I'm right here Chip, what's up?"

"Oh there you are!" Chip jumped up and down as he saw Hinata appear on his screen. "We've been trying to call you for the past few minutes. Everything okay over there?"

Hinata rubbed the back of her neck, "Oh yeah, sorry. I was… busy. What did you need?"

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy are down in Halloween Town right now but they should be back soon." Chip told her, "Sora said something about going after someone named Riku once they're back."

Hinata's eyes lit up, "He did?"

Chip noticed Hinata's sudden elation but didn't address it, "Do you know where we can find him?"

"He should be at a world called Hollow Bastion." Hinata informed him, "I don't know where that is though."

Tapping his foot on the ground and rubbing a tiny hand under his chin, Chip thought about their options when he got an idea. Pumping his hand into the air he exclaimed, "I bet Leon or Cid would know!"

"Who are they?" Hinata asked.

Dale scurried onto the screen next to Chip and butted in, "Leon and Cid are some friends we met in Traverse Town."

"Yep," Chip agreed, "They know all sorts of stuff about navigation gummies and where worlds are. Once we are done here we'll head to Traverse Town to talk to them."

Hinata looked slightly confused, "You can't just call them?" When both Chip and Dale shook their heads she frowned. She didn't want to have to fly to a whole other world just to find out where Hollow Bastion was. She wished she paid more attention to the navigation of the ship to know where things were. Sighing in resignation she gave in, "Alright then, off to Traverse Town then. Any idea when Sora will be back?"

"On Jiminy's last update he said they were going after someone called Oogie Boogie." Dale told her, "So they shouldn't be too long. Once they find the bad guy it doesn't take long until they're back."

Hinata smiled, "You seem to have a lot of confidence in them." She paused when she noticed them say a name she didn't recognize. Cocking her head to the side she asked, "Who's Jiminy?"

"You haven't met Jiminy Cricket?" Chip exclaimed.

Shaking her head Hinata admitted, "No, I barely know Donald or Goofy… He's a cricket? I guess his size would explain why I've never met him." Crossing her arms she asked, "Does he fight too?"

Chip and Dale both giggled from Hinata's question. Dale laughed out, "Could you imagine? Jiminy fighting?"

Slapping his tiny paw on his knee, Chip joined in with Dale's teasing and blurted, "Imagine him with a Keyblade!"

Hinata rolled her eyes as the two chipmunks made a mockery of her question in their fit of laughter. "Yeah, yeah," She dismissed them, "I get it; he obviously doesn't fight. What does he do then?"

Wiping tears from his eyes from laughing so much, Chip regained his composure. "Ahem," He cleared his throat before explaining, "He records everything that happens while Sora is adventuring in a journal! Then at certain points while they are on the world he'll call the ship and update us on what they're doing and when they should be back."

"That sounds useful." Hinata chuckled, thinking back to the green journal Kairi had back to the island with the golden cricket design. Suddenly feeling the urge to go back to her presents she addressed them, "Well, was there anything else you guys needed to talk about?"

"Nope," Both Chip and Dale shook their heads then Chip spoke up, "We'll let you know when Sora and the others come back!"

"Sounds good," Hinata replied with a nod, "I'll talk to you then."

Dale waved as Chip scurried forward and cut the call. Hinata stood up straight and stretched her back. The wound on her chest strained from her movement and kept reminding her that is was there. Placing her hand over her injury with a cringe Hinata wished it would just hurry up and heal already. It was causing her way too many problems. With a sigh, she turned around and headed out of the cockpit back to her other gifts. Once she entered she looked over the six gifts that still awaited her to discover what was inside of them. Hinata looked at the coffin shaped present laying on the chair. It was a complete contrast to the other glimmering beautiful presents. Everything about it made the hairs on the back of Hinata's neck stand on edge. It didn't make any sense why she would receive a present like that from Santa. The more she looked at it the more curious she became before she gave in and grabbed the gift. It was as long as her arm and as she picked it up she could hear something rattling inside as if its contents were many pieces.

She lifted it to her ear and lightly shook it to see if she could guess what was inside. "It sounds like a bunch of blocks of something." She mumbled to herself before sitting down and laying the coffin gift on her lap.

Reluctantly, she pulled at the black stringy mass of what she supposed of wrapping paper even though it felt more like spider web to reveal a white box with a note on top. She pulled the note off the box and read it aloud, "Thought you could use a friend. Merry Christmas… Jack." Flipping the piece of paper over to see if there was anything on the back she asked, "Who's Jack?" Grabbing the sides of the lid to the white coffined box she shrugged, "I guess I'll find out once I open it."

Her eyes widened as she saw the contents and knitted her eyebrows in complete confusion. Stammering she whispered, "It's… bones?"

Sure enough, although Hinata wished her eyes deceived her, inside the coffin was a skeleton of some sort of animal. The remains of the animal lay inside the box completely intact as Hinata looked around the ship as if expecting Santa to jump out saying he was playing some sort of sick joke on her. Looking back at the bones Hinata felt slightly disgusted and perturbed; when she noticed the tail of the animal twitch. With a gasp she dropped the lid of the coffin she had been holding in her hands. She stared intently at the animal's bony tail waiting for it to move again when nothing happened.

"I must have imagined it." Hinata laughed at herself uncomfortably lifting the coffin off her lap and placing it on the table in front of her and said. "I don't know what that was and frankly I don't want to."

She gave one last confused glance at the coffin before moving on to the next present; a small green square wrapped gift that fit in Hinata's palm. Thankful she was moving on from the flop of a present that coffin was she ripped away the wrapping paper and opened the lid of the white box it revealed to find a bracelet. She placed the box onto the table and carefully lifted the bracelet. It was a simple silver chain with a single cream colored pearl. As Hinata lifted it she felt her heart slightly sink. She placed the jewelry around her wrist and asked, "Wasn't this part of a set?"

Spinning the pearl around the chain with her other hand Hinata remembered Kairi's necklace looked almost exactly the same; a silver chain with a single off white pearl at the center. She wore it all the time saying that it was the one thing she still had from her home until she found out about the Wayfinder from Hana and Shin. Hinata sat back in her chair staring at the bracelet wondering if there was any connection between her bracelet and Kairi's necklace when she shook her head, "There's no way. It's such a simple design that it's probably just a coincidence." Putting her arm in the air to look again at her new accessory she wondered, "Although, I do wonder why I would have wanted a bracelet so badly. I don't usually like this type of stuff."

Shrugging, she got up from her chair and grabbed the wrinkled wrapping paper she had strewn around the room from the other opened presents so she could throw it away to clean the area. She crumbled the pieces together and went to the bathroom to toss it in the trash. Wiping her hands as she left the bathroom she glanced at the still opened coffin on the table when she yelped in surprise and stumbled back a couple steps. The skull of the creature was peering at her from the edge of the coffin and its tail was wagging.

"Gah! You're alive?!" She exclaimed, inching along the wall to get as far away as she could from the alive skeleton creature. When the animal noticed Hinata backing away it rattled its bones and brought its front two legs out of the box; causing Hinata to desperately shake her hands in front of her stammering, "No, no, don't come to me. Why don't you just stay in your box?"

The skeleton ignored Hinata's words as it got itself completely out of the box and stood on four bony legs with his bottom jaw open as if it her panting. Wagging its tail furiously it jumped off the table on to the floor and began scampering towards Hinata.

Seeing it coming closer, Hinata shrieked and hastily made her way to one of the beds and jumped on top. "Eek! What are you doing? I told you to stay!"

Immediately the creature stopped in its tracks and cocked its head to the side at Hinata. It stopped wagging its tail momentarily as it sat down at the foot of the bed. Hinata noticed the skeleton had listened and forced herself to calm down. Slowly she lowered into a sitting position on the bed and examined the creature in front of her. Getting past the fact that it was a living skeleton, she took note of all of its features.

"Are you… a dog?" She reluctantly asked, noticing its tail immediately wagging in response. She sighed relieved and then laughed, "You're a dog? Why are you a skeleton? Was I really gone for so long that you aren't even living anymore?"

The skeleton dog stood from his place and went back towards the coffin box Hinata had found him in. Jumping onto the table he reached inside the box and pulled out another letter with gold lining. With it in his mouth he scurried back over to Hinata as she watched him dumbfounded. Slowly, as to not freak Hinata out again he placed the letter onto her lap and backed up into his seated position.

Eyeing the dog, Hinata picked up the letter and noticed a fancy calligraphy 'S' on the front of the envelope. She kept an eye on the dog as she slowly ripped open the envelope and pulled out a golden letter. Looking it over she read it aloud, "Sorry about that. There was a… mishap with Halloween Town. This should help." Hinata paused and looked into the envelope and found a blue cloth. She looked at it confused but finished reading the letter before addressing it, "You do need a friend, but maybe not in this form. Throw this on the dog and he will become more suitable for your needs. Best wishes, Santa Clause."

Hinata put the letter onto the bed beside her and took out the blue cloth from the envelope. She ran it between her fingers feeling its silky texture. There didn't seem to be anything particularly magical about it. Looking up at the dog in front of her she still felt disturbed at the sight; even though he was sitting there patiently wagging its tail something about it being completely made of bones was unsettling. Lifting the blue cloth she shrugged and did as the letter told her, throwing it on top of the dog. The cloth draped over the dog but didn't seem to change anything about him. He still remained seated as if nothing had happened except that now Hinata couldn't see his features.

Hinata stared at the dog in front of her waiting for something magical to happen and when nothing did she began to laugh, "Well now instead of a skeleton you're a ghost..."

The longer she looked at the dog the more she began to laugh. He looked ridiculous under the blue cloth and he had yet to move in an attempt to remove it. For some reason Hinata found it hilarious as she fell onto her side on the bed and felt tears beginning to well up due to her laughing so hard. And what was worse was that the harder she laughed the more spasms of pain her injury would course through her. Soon she could no longer take the pain and forced herself to stop her laughing fit. Grabbing at her chest she groaned from the ache and tightly closed her eyes. She laid there for a moment, trying to let the discomfort pass when she felt a wet nose on her cheek and the sad whimpering of a puppy. Shooting her eyes open she saw the dog right in front of her, except he was no longer a skeleton. He was a translucent blue with a pointy snout and round nose. His pointy ears were down as he looked worried at Hinata. With a gasp, Hinata immediately sat up and looked at the dog in front of her. He no longer had legs as he floated through the air with the look of an actual ghost. Taking a deep breath, Hinata put up her hand towards the dog and was surprised when he immediately nuzzled his head into her hand.

She felt her uneasiness melt away as she rubbed his head and noted, "I'm surprised I don't go through you." The dog happily barked as he flew onto her lap to lay down. Reluctantly, Hinata ran her hand along his back. He didn't feel furry like a normal dog but somehow smooth. Hinata sat there petting her unexpected companion and after a few minutes of trying to accept what just happened she asked, "Well I guess you're staying… What should I call you?" She thought about for a moment when she remembered the note on the top of the box before she opened it. "Jack…" She whispered when she noticed her new pet wag his tail. "Alright then," She decided, "I'll call you Jack."

Jack nuzzled happily into Hinata's lap as she continued to pet him. Hinata tried to figure out what had just happened. She remembered wanting a dog at some point but she had to admit she never expected the dog to be like Jack. They sat in comfortable silence as Hinata took the time to relax and felt more at ease that she wasn't going to be completely alone anymore. After several minutes of petting Jack, Hinata felt herself lay down on her side, causing Jack to lie beside her. Without realizing when it happened she drifted off to sleep.

"Hinata," Chip's voice broke through Hinata's comfortable sleep, "Hinata, Sora's back!"

Yawning, Hinata sat up and was momentarily surprised to see Jack next to her when everything that happened before she fell asleep streamed back into her. Smiling, she lightly scratched behind Jack's ears before standing up to head to the cockpit. She yawned again as she entered the room and saw Sora and Chip on the screen.

"There you are!" Sora exclaimed as he saw Hinata on his screen, "Chip told me that we have to head to Traverse Town."

Hinata crossed her arms, "Yeah, he said some friends of yours, Leon and Cid I think, could help find Hollow Bastion."

"Well alright." Sora replied slightly disappointed. "I was kind hoping we could go straight to Hollow Bastion."

"Me too…" Hinata admitted, "But I don't know how to get there."

Sora was about to respond when he noticed a blue thing coming up behind Hinata. Widening his eyes he yelled, "Hinata look out! Something's coming out of the wall behind you!"

Hinata spun around and saw Jack's head poking through the closed door. She shook her head when she saw him and laughed, "I guess you can go through things." Motioning her head towards the screen she told Jack, "Come over here and meet Sora."

With a bark, Jack came all the way through the door and went up beside Hinata. Sora got close to the screen and eyed Jack. "Where did you get him? He's just like Zero!

"I got him from Santa." Hinata told him nonchalantly before asking, "Who is Zero?"

"WHA?!" Sora shouted, "Santa? You saw Santa?"

"You mean you didn't go to Christmas Town?" Hinata asked surprised. "You were in Halloween Town the whole time?"

"There's a Christmas Town?" Sora exclaimed, then turned, "Donald, Goofy, we have to get back down there!"

"What?" Donald angrily quacked, "You're the one that wanted to leave so soon so we could find your friends!"

"Oh yeah, right," Sora chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and then sighed, "We'll have to come back here once we get Riku and Kairi back. Then we can all see Santa!" When Hinata nodded he remembered her question, "Oh right, Zero. He was Jack Skellington's ghost dog pet."

"Jack?" Hinata repeated looking over at her dog realizing that he must have been the one who gave her the gift in the first place. She wondered if it was really appropriate to name her pet after someone she had never met and someone who scared her out of her wits with the gift; but eventually shrugged. The name fit her dog. Looking back at Sora she went back to their mission. "Alright, we need to get moving to Traverse Town. I'm pretty sure Chip set up my ship's navigation for Traverse Town while you were down in Halloween Town."

"That's right!" Chip chimed, "We're all ready to go!"

"Great!" Sora grinned, still thinking of Christmas Town. "Then let's get going! Call if you need anything Hinata."

"Will do," She assured him before cutting the call. She looked over at Jack and laughed, "You are going to take some getting used to."

She patted his head before turning to head back to the other room to open some more presents. Four more remained for her to open and she was anxious to see what was inside them. Sitting in one of the chairs by the table, Jack floated to the top of the table as Hinata grabbed a shimmering purple box with silver ribbon. She placed the gift on her lap and pulled away the ribbon and tore away the paper. Opening the box under the paper she widened her eyes as she saw a Wayfinder sitting inside.

Reaching her hand inside, she pulled out the Wayfinder that looked nearly identical to the one Kairi had received back on the island. Five Thalassa shells were tied together with twine; except whoever tied them together did a poor job of it, as if it were made by a child.

"This seems so familiar." Hinata told Jack, not sure why she was talking to him since he wouldn't care or respond; but continued anyways, "I remember that I thought that Kairi's Wayfinder was familiar too. I wonder why that is… This looks almost identical to the one Kairi had." Looking down at her bracelet she added, "And my bracelet it just like her necklace too." Leaning back in her chair she sighed, "It has to be a coincidence, right?" Jack just wagged his tail in response as Hinata continued to put things together. She sat back up straight as she got an idea, "There are eight presents all together… If I am only supposed to get one present a year from Santa for Christmas then each present should represent a year, right? Well then that would mean eight years… that I was gone." Her heart began to race with fear, "Was I really gone eight years? How could that have happened and where did I go that Santa would have to store up my gifts; he travels the entire universe so there is no way I was just on another world." She groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "This makes no sense! Why would I have been gone for eight years?"

Jack noticed Hinata's stress and quietly whimpered as he scooted closer to her. It was obvious that Hinata was having a hard time.

Hinata took her hand down from the face and looked at Jack with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm fine; just… confused." She looked down at the Wayfinder in her lap and examined it. It really was just like the one Kairi had and turning it over she found a message similar to the one on Kairi's only written in big uneven letters, "I love you Hina! We will be sisters forever! Love, Kairi." Hinata gasped as the words left her mouth and then exclaimed, "Kairi? Kairi is Aiko? What?!" Her heart and entire body felt as if it were about to explode as she tried to wrap her mind around what she just discovered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she came to realization that she had been with her sister the entire time she had been on Destiny Islands and she hadn't a clue. Taking a deep breath she tried to figure everything out, "Okay, calm down… Let's see, if I really was missing for eight years, Aiko, or Kairi I guess, wouldn't be six years old anymore. She would be fourteen; just like Kairi is." Her voice cracked, "Is Kairi my sister?"

She stared absently at the table, feeling her hands shaking as they tightly grasped the Wayfinder. It didn't make any sense. She didn't understand how Kairi could have arrived on Destiny Islands before her and grown up while Hinata was somehow stuck in some sort of limbo that kept her trapped for eight entire years. Everyone she knew was long gone or at least much older than anything she remembered. Feeling her eyes sting with tears she choked out, "Lea, Isa… do they even remember me? And Kairi, she didn't even know she had a sister until she got her Wayfinder, how is she going to react when she finds out it was me all along?" Tightly closing her eyes, a tear streamed down her cheek and Jack was immediately by her side nuzzling into her arm. Sniffling, Hinata assured him, "I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in." Using a free hand she pushed at her eyes and shoved away the tear. She forced a smile and scratched Jack behind the ear, trying to convince him and herself that everything was fine; when in reality it couldn't be farther from the truth.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! If you have any questions about how Kairi could be Hinata's sister feel free to ask or let me know how you feel about it. By the way, Jack looks just like Zero from 'Nightmare Before Christmas' except with pointy ears and a smaller snout. I'll be drawing a pic of him soon and yes, he will be travelling with Hinata from now on. Next chapter we will be going back to Riku. Please let me know what you think! Have a wonderful week! *****


	37. Unexpected Visit

Chapter 37

Riku stood in Captain Hook's cabin waiting impatiently for Smee to bring Kairi to the room. He had awoken less than two hours ago and already things were going awry. When he awoke, Maleficent had been there to inform him about Kairi's true condition. It pained him to hear the words come out of her mouth. Kairi was a lifeless puppet without her heart, and it was because of him. He had to do whatever he could to get her heart back. The more he thought about it the more the darkness inside of him festered; especially since he received a new power from Maleficent to control the Heartless. He never felt more alive, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach was growing more than he liked to admit. With everything happening around him he couldn't help but feel the familiar pang of guilt rush through him.

The Jolly Roger was making its way from space back down to Neverland to drop Wendy off on the world. Riku still couldn't believe it when Maleficent told him with one look at Wendy that she wasn't one of the princesses she needed. So much for all that work he put into capturing her as it all ended up being a complete waste of time. Riku began to pace the room as his nerves were beginning to stand on end. Everything was going wrong all at once. Shortly after Maleficent had left, Hook spotted a gummi ship not far off and immediately ordered his men to capture it. Riku would never understand that pirate; always putting his greed above the mission. They captured the ship without much problem and of all people it ended up being Sora's ship; finally a stroke of luck for Riku or at least he was hoping it would have been. Sora was being just as stubborn as usual, telling Riku that he was doing everything wrong and that he was being stupid for going into the darkness.

"He doesn't understand!" Riku mumbled irately under his breath. "While he's been playing hero I've been growing more powerful and even found Kairi… What did he do? Get that stupid Keyblade?"

He wasn't sure why he was complaining to the world about his problems and frankly he felt rather childish for his jealous rage; however, it was swiftly consuming him. As much as he had his moments of guilt he had even more moments of feeling misunderstood. He was doing the right thing; with the power of the Heartless now on his side he didn't have to be afraid of anything anymore. Once he saved Kairi he could go out to find Hinata; then everything would be perfect. He would protect both of them. His heart was twisting with mixed emotions, especially when he heard that Sora had broken out of the brig Riku had him thrown into. Now Sora was on his way to him, he had to get out of there; he just needed Smee to bring Kairi.

"Here she is!" Smee chimed in an annoyingly sing-song voice as he burst into the room holding Kairi.

Without saying anything, Riku rushed over and grabbed Kairi from Smee. After Riku had her in his arms, Smee uncomfortably rubbed his hands together before scurrying out of the cabin to aid Captain Hook with whatever he needed. Riku readjusted Kairi in his arms so he could outstretch one of his hands to summon a Corridor of Darkness. He faced the door that led out to the deck of the ship and closed his eyes to imagine a place to connect to. As his eyes were closed he felt a surge of energy within the room but ignored it, focusing on his own powers. Hollow Bastion was too far away for him to connect to without using too much energy so he thought of the first thing that came to mind; the second star on the right, or London as Wendy had put it. Within seconds the portal was created and he opened his eyes before stepping through.

"Riku?" Hinata's surprised voice came from behind, making Riku freeze.

Slowly, Riku turned hearing his own heart drumming in his ears. Hinata couldn't be there, not now; but there she was standing holding her blades at her sides staring at him shocked and confused. Swallowing in an attempt to coat his dry throat, Riku stammered, "Hinata? What are you doing here?"

Hinata seemed lost for words as she open and closed her mouth a few times trying to catch her mind up with everything happening. She glanced down at Kairi in his arms then back up at his confused eyes. After a couple seconds she breathily laughed and said, "I could ask you the same thing. I came here looking for Sora. We were headed to Traverse Town to look for you… actually."

"Look for me?" Riku repeated softly. He was about to ask more when Sora, Donald, and Goofy burst into the room.

Sora took one look at Kairi in Riku's arms and saw the black portal behind Riku; knowing that Riku was trying to escape he called out, "Riku, wait!"

Without answering, Riku gave one look to Hinata before backing into the portal and bowing his head down. As he disappeared into the portal a black Heartless shaped exactly like Sora sprouted from the ground right in front of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Hinata immediately sheathed her swords and made her way towards the portal that was somehow still open.

"Hinata, don't!" Sora called out to her as he summoned his Keyblade to take on the new foe.

Briefly stopping in front of the portal, Hinata told him, "I can't just let him leave like that Sora. I'm sorry!"

Ignoring the calls from Sora, Donald, and Goofy she entered the portal and appeared in the Corridor of Darkness. She clenched at her chest as she felt the surrounding darkness seeping into her and aggravating her wound. Seeing Riku walking along with Kairi in his arms towards the light at the end of the corridor she jogged as best as she could to catch up to him. Despite all the rest she had been getting lately her injury was still causing her to be weaker than she liked to admit.

"Riku, wait up!" She called after him as she tried to catch up.

He slowed his pace and looked back at Hinata noting, "I'm surprised you actually followed me."

As Hinata finally reached him she caught her breath and gave him a small smile. "Of course I did."

Riku smiled back, still trying to gather everything that had just happened. Hinata was the last person he wanted to see with how he was feeling and what he was doing; but now that she was in front of him he didn't care about any of that. Even if for that single moment everything seemed right again. Standing side by side they made their way to the light to exit the corridor. They walked in comfortable silence until they entered the light and had to adjust their eyes to their new surroundings.

Gasping at the sight, Hinata looked out at the miles and miles of rooftops that spread out under the starry night sky. They seemed to be standing on a large tower and as Hinata peeked over the edge of where they stood she saw a bright round clock face beneath them. As Riku placed Kairi on the ground and walked up beside her she asked, "Where are we?"

"I think it's called London." Riku told her, looking out at their surroundings equally interested in the new place before glancing up at the round full moon in the sky. He heard Hinata turn around to walk away but he continued to stare at the moon. Reality was beginning to set into him. He was more powerful than he ever thought possible; yet he still felt so helpless. Outstretching his arm he reached towards the moon until the palm of his hand was covering it from his sight then he clenched his hand into a fist as if he was trying to grab it. Pulling his arm back towards him he opened his hand only to find it empty, making his heart sink. Even with all the darkness and power inside him, he still had limitations. Tightly closing his eyes, he abruptly put his arm back down to his side.

"Is Kairi alright?" Hinata asked worriedly, bringing Riku out of his thoughts.

Turning around, he saw Hinata knelt down beside Kairi with her hand on her shoulder. He wasn't sure how to answer her but eventually decided just to give her the truth, "She lost her heart."

"What?" Hinata interrupted, standing up immediately. "How?"

Riku knew the reason but lied, "I-I don't know. It's how Maleficent found her."

Hinata looked back at Kairi and felt her eyes well up with tears. She finally could be reunited with her sister only to find her without a heart. Forcing herself to push away the emotion she asked, "Is there anything we can do?"

"Yeah," Riku smiled to himself that Hinata was already so willing to help, "Maleficent says that if we get seven princesses of pure light together they'll open something called the heart of the world and we can get Kairi a new heart from it… or something like that."

"Is that what Maleficent wanted Jasmine for?" Hinata concluded after she thought about what Riku said for a couple minutes.

Riku crossed his arms and took a couple steps towards Hinata, "Yeah, I think so."

"You didn't hurt her did you?" Hinata looked over at Riku.

Suddenly feeling his heart twang with frustration he bit, "Is that all you care about? We haven't seen each other in days and the first thing you ask is if I kept some promise to protect someone you barely knew?"

"Well did you?" Hinata pried further.

Riku scoffed, "No I didn't." He turned to look back out over London, "And it's great to see you too. Anything else you want to quiz me on?"

Hinata reluctantly left Kairi's side and walked up beside Riku, "No… I'm sorry. I'm really happy to see you. And thanks."

After a moment of tense silence he asked, "For what?"

"For keeping your promise," She told him, "It means a lot."

Riku relaxed his muscles that he was unintentionally keeping tensed; his frustrated outburst was simmering down. Taking a deep breath he asked, "So you were travelling with Sora?"

Hinata nodded, "It wasn't intentional. After I left Hollow Bastion I decided to call my black device thing with the one you gave me and these two chipmunks picked up."

"Chipmunks?" Riku repeated flabbergasted.

Giggling, Hinata continued, "Yeah, the chipmunks were the engineers on Sora's gummi ship and let my ship's navigation to meet them at their next world, Atlantica."

"Engineer chipmunks," Riku said under his breath, "The longer we are away from the islands the weirder things we see."

"I think you're right." Hinata agreed with a smile before remembering the animosity between Riku and Sora. Fidgeting her hands in front of her she asked, "Are you upset that I travelled with Sora? I mean after all the trouble you two are going through."

"No." Riku told her matter-of-factly, "I mean, I was at first; but honestly, I am just glad you're safe. I didn't know when I'd see you again."

"What did you do when we were apart?" Hinata pried, trying to seem nonchalant.

Riku saw through her facade and crossed his arms, "You know, stuff."

"Still as secretive as ever," Hinata muttered under her breath.

"I don't know why you need to know." Riku defended, feeling his emotions rising, "We're together now. Who cares what happened when we were apart?"

"Alright, fine. I'm sorry I asked." Hinata waved her hands frustrated in front of her before taking a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. If she was going to keep them on good terms she needed to tread carefully. It was obvious that Riku was on the fence emotionally. Turning around, she walked back over to Kairi and knelt down beside her. Placing her hand on her shoulder she asked, "How are you getting her back to Hollow Bastion?"

"I was going to summon a portal like I did to get here." Riku informed her.

"Do you just want to take my ship?" Hinata suggested, wanting to make sure Kairi was safe.

"What, and deal with your constant moral nagging the whole way?" Riku bit with his back to her, "No thanks."

Hinata widened her eyes and looked up at Riku. She couldn't believe he said that. Looking saddened back at Kairi she mumbled, "I didn't realize you felt that way."

"Just mind your own business." Riku scolded, he wasn't sure what caused him to lash out suddenly but he couldn't stop himself. His anger was beginning to boil out of control.

Standing up abruptly, Hinata clenched her fists and told him adamantly, "No, I won't mind my own business!" Riku looked back at her both surprised and angered as she continued, "I tried being nice about this but I can't help it anymore Riku, you need to snap out of it! Sora told me everything that happened back at Monstro."

Riku scoffed, "And you're just taking his word for it?"

"It's not like you've done much to convince me otherwise." Hinata pointed out, "Did you really try to steal that small boy's heart?"

"He was a puppet!" Riku argued, turning towards Hinata, "He shouldn't have had a heart to begin with!"

"That doesn't matter, he was a living being!" Hinata defended, "Back in Wonderland we saw living playing cards that had hearts and you weren't trying to take their hearts!"

"I wasn't under any orders to." He countered.

"Is that all that matters to you?" She asked in disbelief, "Following orders no matter the cost? Did you ever stop to think that what you're doing is wrong?"

"You see? This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Riku waved his arms in the air yelling, "I can't even have a normal conversation with you without you nagging me about every decision I've made. Why can't you just leave it alone and just be happy we get to see each other?"

"Because Riku, this path you're following is wrong! Why can't you see that?" Hinata grabbed his arm, desperately trying to get through to him.

"Just leave me alone!" Riku yelled, roughly pushing Hinata away, "All you're doing is getting in my way!"

Hinata stumbled backwards as Riku placed his hand above her chest and shoved her away. Placing her hand over her chest, she grimaced and turned around as her injury stung from the contact. The corners of her eyes stung with tears from both the pain and the emotional hurt Riku had just inflicted on her. Her hand began to feel moist and as she pulled it away from her shirt she widened her eyes when she saw that blood was covering her hand; the wound had reopened. Tightly clenching her fist she cursed under her breath.

Riku immediately turned towards Hinata when he heard her curse and widened his eyes when he saw red liquid dripping down her hand. Immediately all of his bottled rage washed away as he rushed to her side. As he came up beside her he placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Hinata, what's wrong?"

Hinata scoffed and shoved his hand away, "What, now you care?"

"Just show me," Riku softly ordered her and when she didn't immediately comply he urged, "Hinata, please."

With a deep sigh, Hinata slowly unbuttoned her blood stained vest to reveal the raw and once again bleeding injury. Riku's mouth gaped open as he saw the wound; he was expecting a cut or bruise but not the deep blackened hole right above her chest. The familiar protective urge began boiling up inside him as he remembered what Jafar did to her.

Firmly placing his hands on Hinata's shoulders to force her to look at him he asked, "Who did this?"

Avoiding eye-contact Hinata answered, "A sea-witch called Ursula. She got me with a cheap shot from a trident. You don't have to worry though, Sora took care of her."

"Of course he did." Riku said irately. Even though he knew Ursula was gone he still felt rage festering inside.

"Donald saved my life…" Hinata whispered causing Riku to look up from her wound to her face before she continued, "According to a girl named Attina I was almost…" She gulped, "She said I was almost dead but then Sora found me and ordered Donald to do a healing spell on me; it wasn't enough to completely heal me but it stopped the bleeding and woke me up."

"I… I almost lost you." Riku tightened his grip on Hinata's shoulders feeling his darkness rising inside of him. "I should have been there to save you. Not Sora."

"What?" Hinata looked up surprised at Riku, "Why would you say that?"

Without answering, Riku placed his hand slightly above Hinata's injury and felt her tense as a green mist began to emanate from his hand. Hinata winced as the green mist touched her skin. It felt as if needles were digging into her. In an attempt to make him stop she shoved at his shoulder but he stood firm.

"What are you doing?" She asked between her ragged breaths, trying to keep her voice under control as she wanted to yell out in pain.

"Healing you…" He muttered, trying to stay focused.

Hinata clenched her hands into tight fists and purposefully dug her nails into her palms to distract herself from the discomfort. She felt every piece of movement of the mist as it spread through her supposedly healing her. Futilely trying to push him away, she let out a small cry of pain, "Stop, you're hurting me!"

Riku momentarily looked up from his hand and assured her, "It won't hurt for long. Just let me finish."

Hinata leaned her head against the stone wall that was behind her and stared at the ceiling, trying to take her mind off the pain. She startled when Riku slightly staggered and placed his free arm on the wall beside her. Looking down she saw Riku breathing heavily and sweating as he continued to heal her.

"Riku, stop," She grated out when a spike of discomfort shot through her, "You're pushing yourself too far."

Riku struggled for breath and clenched his hand against the wall as he argued, "No, I need to do this."

"No you don't," Hinata assured him, beginning to worry for him, "Donald said this would take multiple sessions to heal completely. You can't do this all at once."

"Yes I can!" Riku defended as he clenched his teeth, feeling his energy draining swiftly.

Not sure of how else to get through to him, Hinata reached up to grab his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. She pressed her lips against his and ignored the spike of pain that coursed through her from the sudden movement. At first Riku half-heatedly tried to push her away but he was so weak he gave up without much of a fight. Slowly, his hand over Hinata's wound slid up to behind her neck as he began welcoming the sudden affection. His energy was sapped dry and even kissing was proving too much as he broke the kiss to regain his breath, staggering into Hinata.

Hinata yelped surprised as she caught Riku and was unintentionally pushed against the wall from his weight. Realizing he was exhausted she wrapped her arms around Riku and waited for him to regain his strength. They stood in silence as Riku's heavy breaths slowly regulated.

Once she was certain he was breathing normally she asked, "Why did you do that?"

Riku stayed silent for a moment before reluctantly admitting, "I don't know."

"When did you learn to do that?" She moved on.

"Maleficent healed my knuckles after you left and I learned how to do it." Riku told her. With how weak he was it was harder to maintain his secretive resolve. "I use the darkness to do it."

"The darkness," Hinata repeated, feeling her heart sink. She wanted to press him further but she knew he was in no state for her prying.

Knowing Riku needed to rest, she softly pushed Riku away from her and helped him sit down against the wall. She had never seen him in such a state. It was as if he couldn't do anything himself. As he sat down he closed his eyes and shifted his head to lie on Hinata's shoulder when she sat next to him.

Hinata looked out at the shining homes of London as she pressed her cheek against Riku's head. After a moment of silence she asked, "Are you still upset with me?"

"I don't think so…" Riku answered honestly, feeling himself losing focus, "I guess… I just can't stay mad at you."

She stayed silent at Riku's reply and felt his breaths slow into slumber within minutes; he really had put everything he had into healing her. There was no way she was going to let him create a portal to get back to Hollow Bastion. Taking a deep breath she realized that there was something missing; it was pain. Her wound would usually be protesting in all sorts of ways from all of her movement; however within minutes the pain was gone. Looking down she examined the state of her injury and was surprised to see it had decreased exponentially in size. It was no longer bleeding and was instead a simple rough scab. If anything it was horribly distasteful to look at; however, it no longer was raw and opened. With it in its current state, Hinata would be able to get back into the fray with fighting and helping out. Hinata sighed in relief and leaned into Riku with a smile, thankful for what he had done. She knew that within minutes they would have to once again go separate ways; but in that moment she didn't want to think of anything else but being by Riku's side. All of their disagreements could wait till later.

As Riku slept beside her, Hinata let her mind wander to all the hurtful things Riku had said to her before he saw her wound. She didn't know what had gotten into him. He had never taken that tone with her and it reminded her of his father. She slightly trembled at the thought, Riku would hate to hear that he was akin to his father even if only for a moment; but perhaps it would be worth bringing up to him later. Either way, she knew he had said those things out of anger and had not really meant any of it; however, that didn't mean it still didn't hurt. She took a deep breath, trying to even out her confused emotions about Riku. Looking over she saw Kairi still slumped unnaturally on the ground staring absently at the ground. She hadn't moved since Riku put her there and Hinata suddenly felt embarrassed that she and Riku had kissed in front of her. Hinata couldn't believe that Kairi had lost her heart and she wondered how she had. If Maleficent was to be trusted, which was doubtful, when someone lost their heart they gave into the darkness inside them; but there wasn't an ounce of darkness inside Kairi. It didn't make any sense. Hinata had to find out what happened; Kairi was her sister after all. Feeling her own eyes get heavy, Hinata let go of her better judgement and fell into a light slumber beside Riku.

"Who are you?" A young girl's voice startled Hinata awake.

Trying to catch her mind up with what was happening; Hinata looked around when she saw a young girl with brown curly hair wearing a long blue dress. Hinata lightly shook Riku's shoulder waking him. As he grunted in reply that he didn't want to get up yet she whispered to him, "We aren't alone up here."

Riku forced his eyes open and paled slightly when he saw Wendy standing in front of them with her hands on her hips. As he pulled himself to stand Wendy recognized him.

She gasped, "It's you! What are you doing here in London?"

"You know her?" Hinata asked.

"It's a long story," Riku told her.

"A long story indeed," Wendy crossed her arms in frustration, "You kidnapped me right in front of my younger brothers!"

"You did what?" Hinata shot her eyes back to Riku who was quickly beginning to feel cornered.

"Him and that blonde man, Bedivere I believe his name was." Wendy clarified, then looked at Hinata, "Madam you are with a wanted criminal!"

"I am not a criminal!" Riku defended feeling way too tired to be dealing with the accusations.

"Riku…" Hinata whispered, trying to calm him down but also confused how Bedivere could have helped Riku capture Wendy.

"Are you really going to take her side just like that?" Riku exclaimed, flinging his hands into the air. "You're unbelievable!"

"What?" Hinata put her hands up in surrender, "No, I'm trying to get you to calm down."

"He took me away from my family and had me taken to a pirate ship where they locked me away!" Wendy continued, feeling that Hinata needed to know the truth. When Hinata turned to look at her, she continued. "He captured Peter Pan as well as a boy named… I believe his name was Sora and his friends."

"You captured them? Sora is your best friend!" Hinata turned to look at Riku, surprised when she saw him standing farther away from her holding Kairi in his arms. Her eyes widened as she took a step towards him, "No Riku, where are you going?"

"I already told you, I'm going to Hollow Bastion to save Kairi." Riku bit, his darkness replenishing as anger coursed through him.

"Let me take you on the ship!" Hinata pleaded, "I want to save Kairi as much as you do and you aren't strong enough to make it to Hollow Bastion with that portal!"

"He can't go anywhere unless he can fly." Wendy noted but quickly quieted down when Hinata glared back at her telling her to stay out of it.

"You aren't willing to do what's necessary." Riku told Hinata as he looked down at Kairi in his arms. "I have to do this myself. I owe Kairi that much,"

Hinata knitted her eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean you owe her? Why would you owe her?"

Without answering, Riku summoned a corridor and right before he walked through he looked over his shoulder at Hinata then turned and disappeared into the portal. Hinata ran as quick as she could but the portal had dissipated before she even took a step.

Hinata let out a yell of anger, "How could I have been so stupid?" She knelt down and buried her face into her hands; she had done it again, let Riku go when she knew he was only going to fall more into darkness without her.

"Is everything alright?" Wendy asked gently as she approached Hinata.

Lifting her face Hinata admitted, "No it's not." Standing up she grabbed her black device off of her vest and concluded, "But it will be." She pressed the beam button on her device but nothing happened. Hinata looked down confused at her device and pressed it again; but once more nothing happened. That's when she realized that she was on a completely different world than Neverland; in fact she had no idea how far Neverland even was. Clipping her device back to her vest she grumbled, "Well this is just great! Not only did I let Riku run off with my sister I also got myself stranded in a whole other world!"

"How are you going to get home?" Wendy asked.

Hinata crossed her arms and sighed in frustration, "I have no idea…" She looked over at Wendy, "How did you get here if you were kidnapped?"

"Oh, Peter Pan rescued me!" Wendy proudly told Hinata then noted, "And I believe that boy Sora was with him."

"Well at least he's safe…" Hinata admitted looking out at London. She had no idea how she was going to get to Hollow Bastion but she was going to do it; she wasn't about to leave Riku in the state he ran off in and she had to get Kairi back, no matter what.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to thank everyone for reading this story and for all of the amazing feedback. I am sorry if I don't reply to a review, I have a hard time knowing how to reply; but know that I greatly appreciate every piece of feedback. I hope everyone has a great week! *****


	38. Moments in Between

Chapter 38

Hinata sat down and dangled her feet off the edge of the clock tower as she felt the cool night wind breeze past her, causing her to shiver. She looked up at the endless sea of stars trying to think of a way to get out of London. Wendy stood beside her quietly with her hands behind her back. Not much time had passed since Riku left abruptly for Hollow Bastion and not much else had happened. Hinata felt stuck to say the least.

Without looking away from the stars, Hinata asked Wendy, "How are you getting home?"

"Peter Pan said he would be back for me." Wendy informed her, "He said he had to go back to Neverland to help Sora."

Hinata smiled, "Well maybe I'm not completely stuck then. I'll just ask Peter Pan to take me back to Neverland when he comes for you." She leaned back on her hands, "I just hope he comes back soon."

"As do I," Wendy admitted, "It's awfully cold up here and poor John and Michael must be worried sick about me."

"Are those your brothers you mentioned earlier?" Hinata asked, looking up at Wendy.

She nodded, "Yes, both of them are younger… I do hope they're alright."

"You said Riku took you in front of them?" Hinata struggled to believe he would do such a thing.

Wendy sighed and sat down beside Hinata with her hands folded in her lap. "Yes he did." She admitted, "Something seemed off about him the moment I saw him. He just seemed… lost."

Hinata gave a sad bitter laugh at her observation. Looking over the rooftops of London she agreed, "He is. He's very lost right now. I hope I can help him find his way again."

"What he needs is a mother." Wendy said rather adamantly. "My mother is always there to help me."

"Yeah, well his parents were never really the helping type." Hinata mumbled under her breath.

"Are you lost?" She asked Hinata, not hearing what she said about Riku's parents.

Hinata shook her head and spilled out, "Not lost… more misplaced. I feel like I don't belong here."

"What about your mother?" Wendy pried. "Surely she can help you."

"I don't really remember her. I haven't seen her in a long time." Hinata admitted closing her eyes.

"What do you remember about her?" she asked.

Opening one of her eyes, Hinata inquired, "Why?"

"Well, it's important to remember our mothers." Wendy paused thinking it over, "A mother is the most wonderful person in the world. The helping hand that helps guide you through what is right or wrong."

Hinata stayed silent from Wendy's words, not sure how to respond. She really didn't remember much of her mother and Riku's mother was nothing like that description. Sighing, she lay down on her back and placed her hands behind her head. Looking up at the arched stone ceiling she thought back to the dream she had on Prydain; when she had seen Aiko, or Kairi, and her mom. That was all she remembered of them.

"Hinata?" Sora's voice caused Hinata to sit back up and gasp at the sight in front of her.

Unbeknownst to how he was able to accomplish it; Hinata saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy flying over the rooftops towards her and Wendy being led by a young boy with bright orange hair wearing a green tunic. Wendy smiled and stood as she saw the group approaching, not at all taken aback by them floating off the ground; while Hinata sat there bewildered and mouth gaped open. As Sora approached he grinned at Hinata's expression and flew up beside her.

Landing on the stone walkway on the clock tower he laughed, "You should see your face!"

Tightly closing her mouth, Hinata shook her head to bring her back to reality. Looking back over at Sora she asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"We didn't," Sora admitted, "After we beat Hook we followed Peter here to London. Chip and Dale brought our ship too."

"Oh," Hinata rubbed the back of her neck, "Well I'm glad you found me. Riku left me here and I had no idea how to get back."

"That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run off in the first place!" Donald pointed out as he landed beside Sora and crossing his winged arms tapping his webbed foot on the stone ground.

"I know." Hinata seceded any arguments and looked away to avoid eye contact. "It was reckless of me to run off without you guys. I just couldn't let Riku leave with Kairi like that… but I didn't accomplish anything by following him either."

"It's alright." Sora smiled, bringing Hinata's attention back to him from his kind demeanor. "I wanted to do the same thing." He was about to ask something else when he widened his eyes, "Your cut is almost completely healed!"

Hinata looked down and self-consciously placed her hand over the rough scab above her chest. Her gray blue vest was unbuttoned and stained with blood leaving her injury out in the open. Giving a sad smile she informed him, "Yeah, when Riku saw it he healed it, or at least as much as he could." She looked over at Donald, "It really hurt when he was doing it, is it supposed to?"

Donald shook his head, getting over his previous anger when Goofy landed and cut in, "Gawrsh, Donald's healed me tons of times and it's never hurt before." Goofy scratched under his chin thinking when he got an idea, "It must have been that there darkness he's been using."

"My magic comes from my staff," Donald explained, stomping on Goofy's foot for interrupting him. "Dark magic comes from a person's life force."

"Life force?" Both Sora and Hinata repeated taken aback.

"Wait," Hinata began piecing it together, "So when Riku uses the darkness it makes him weak because it's literally sapping his energy? That must be how people can get consumed by the darkness. They rely on it so much that it eventually takes so much of their life force that it is replaced by darkness itself…" She looked up worried at Sora, "And I just let Riku leave in some dark portal he made after he was already exhausted from healing me!"

"Aw gee, Hinata, it ain't your fault!" Goofy cut in, rubbing his hurt foot after Donald had stomped on it.

"Yeah, you didn't know." Sora assured her, trying to force a smile but was becoming increasingly worried.

Hinata crossed her arms and paced restlessly, "It doesn't matter whether I knew or not; I messed up. We need to get to Hollow Bastion as soon as possible. I don't know what Maleficent has planned exactly but she wants Kairi for something. Riku told me that there are seven princesses that can give Kairi her heart back but I don't really know how that works."

"Give Kairi back her heart?" Sora asked bewildered as his eyes widened, "So do you know what happened to her?"

"Look, I'll tell you everything once we are on route to Hollow Bastion." Hinata told him as she stopped walking. "Every moment we waste here talking gives Maleficent more time with Riku and Kairi."

Sora gave a discontented look, wanting to know more immediately, especially about Kairi; but nodded and sighed, "All right, I'll be right back." He motioned his head towards Donald and Goofy before walking off the edge of the clock tower immediately floating.

Peter Pan was flying near Wendy when he noticed Sora and the others heading towards the clock face. Flying towards them he told Sora, "Tink says that one of the clock faces is all wrong."

"Alright," Sora quickly nodded, "Let's fix it."

Hinata watched as Sora flew around the clock tower with the young boy. When they were out of sight she approached Wendy and assumed, "So I take it that boy was Peter Pan."

"Yes indeed." Wendy acknowledged, "He came back just as he promised."

Giving a small smile, Hinata looked out amongst the miles of surrounding city; absently examining the lights in the windows that illuminated the homes. Folding her hands in front of her she spoke up, "Wendy, I'm sorry for what Riku did."

"He's quite the codfish as Peter would say." Wendy noted

Hinata laughed, not expecting that answer, "A codfish? I'll have to remember that one."

Wendy giggled in response and then suddenly staggered as the stone ground around them began to tremor. An almost deafening clock bell vibrated through the air, resonating through them and causing both the girls to cover their ears. As Wendy grabbed onto one of the stone columns, Hinata ran to find where the noise was originating from; no doubt it was Sora's doing. She turned the corner and spotted Sora with the others, floating in front of one of the bright clock faces as the time struck midnight. She kept her hands over her ears as the bell continued to ding while she watched what the floating group was doing. A sudden bright light flashed into the night sky from the clock's face, reminding Hinata of what she had seen on the fountain back in Traverse Town. As the light faded a small keyhole appeared on the right side of the clock. Immediately, Sora pointed his Keyblade towards the lock and a beam shot from the tip of his weapon into the keyhole. Once the beam penetrated the lock, the keyhole was consumed in a light and the clock tower returned to normal.

"What was that?" Wendy approached Hinata once the tremors had passed.

"He locked the heart of the world." Hinata told her, "Or at least, I think that's what he did."

Within seconds, Sora was back on the clock tower with the others. Landing beside Hinata, Sora, Donald, and Goofy each smiled at her.

"This is just regular business for you, isn't it?" Hinata noted, "Saving every world you go to."

"Yeah, it's hard work, but somebody's got to do it." Sora dissipated his Keyblade and put his hands behind his head with a smirk.

"Well I better get back to Neverland." Peter flew up to Sora.

"But Peter," Wendy interrupted, "Must you really go back to Neverland?"

"Afraid so," Peter flew next to Wendy, "But we can see each other any time." He flew up and grabbed her hands, "As long as you never forget about Neverland that is."

Hinata stood with Sora and the others as they watched Peter talk with Wendy. She saw the way Peter and Wendy looked at each other and it made her miss the times Riku would look at her like that. Before Maleficent came in with her manipulative ways and ruined everything. Feeling her heart sink she looked over at Sora and noticed a similar saddened look on his face; no doubt he was thinking about Kairi.

Suddenly, a bright yellow ball of light that had been floating by Donald flew up around Peter before flying back to Sora. Once the light was in front of Sora, Hinata realized that it was in fact a small blonde fairy. She smiled at the tiny fairy that flew in place with her arms crossed seemingly miffed.

Peter looked over at the pixie, "Oh boy, she's getting steamed again." Placing his hands on his hips he gave the fairy a smirk. Looking over at Sora he said, "Do me a favor. Look after her for me, will ya?"

The small fairy flew and spun in front of Sora's face as he looked back confused at Peter Pan, "What? You want me to take Tinker Bell with me?"

"Sure why not?" Peter flew towards them, "She's great at healing spells and is small enough that she won't get in the way. Isn't that right Tink?"

Tinker Bell smiled and nodded her head with a small ring of bells.

"She'll be back once you finish your mission." Peter noted.

"Well thanks." Sora grinned, and then looked over at his friends, "We better get going."

"Do take care!" Wendy waved as she walked up beside Peter Pan and grabbed his hand.

"We will, thanks." Hinata spoke up and smiled at Wendy; then she looked over at Sora, "How do we get back to your ship?"

"That would be me." A small voice came from Sora's shirt.

"What was that?" Hinata asked staring at Sora's shirt.

"Jiminy Cricket's the name!" A cricket wearing a blue top hat and black suit climbed up on Sora's shoulder.

Hinata bent down slightly to see Jiminy better, "Oh so you're Jiminy. Chip and Dale told me about you. I'm Hinata."

Slightly lifting his hat he greeted, "Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance; but as you mentioned earlier we are on a tight schedule. I'll just let Chip and Dale know that we are ready to board." With that he fully took off his hat and reached inside, seemingly pressing down on something. Before Hinata could ask what he was doing a bright light beamed around them and they immediately appeared inside Sora's gummi ship.

As Hinata slowly spun around examining her surroundings she asked, "Can you bring me back to my ship in Neverland?"

"No problem!" Chip spoke up as he scurried over to Hinata, "There was something I wanted to look at on your ship's navigation anyways. We will be there in about an hour; it's not too far away from here."

Hinata smiled her thanks as she continued to look around. She recalled what she had seen from the video calls she had with the chipmunks; but seeing everything in person was an entirely new experience. A glass dome surrounded them as three white chairs stood in the center of the area. The control board seemed more like a hologram rather than the actual board that was on Hinata's ship.

As the ship began to move on its way back to Neverland, Hinata noted, "This seems to be a newer model than my ship."

"Yeah, your ship did seem older." Sora commented walking towards a set of stairs, "Come on, I'll show you downstairs."

Hinata nodded as she followed Sora into the bottom room. Her eyes widened as she saw the new area. She didn't get a good look of the gummi ship from the outside from her own ship when she was flying behind them but she could swear that it was bigger on the inside. It was a long hallway with blue flooring and pale yellow walls. There were two red doors, one on either side of the hall and at the end of the walkway was a small kitchen complete with a fridge, counter space, and stove. In front of the counter was a table with four chairs bolted into the ground.

"What in the world?" Hinata said under her breath as she walked into the hall. "There is no way your ship is this big! It looks so small on the outside."

"I know! that's what I thought!" Sora agreed as he went to the kitchen; no doubt hungry. "According to Donald and Goofy, their King found the technology to make things bigger on the inside while he was travelling years ago."

Hinata approached the counter and leaned her hands on it before noting, "Well, it's amazing. You have your own house down here."

Sora chuckled as he turned around holding a bowl of fruit for them to snack on. Placing it on the counter his smile faded away.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked when she noticed his expression.

"It's hard to imagine that just a couple months ago we were all back on the island." Sora began, absently picking at the fruit. "I can't believe what happened to Riku and to Kairi." His voice trailed off. Turning around he leaned his back against the counter so Hinata couldn't see his face. "I want to do everything I can to protect everyone I care about; but the more I try to get through to Riku the worse he gets. And I don't even know what happened to Kairi." Holding out his hand he summoned the Keyblade and examined it, "I have the Keyblade but I still feel… like I'm not actually making a difference; at least not where it matters most."

Hinata listened to Sora's words feeling her heart sink. With a small scoff she replied, "I've been really selfish." Sora turned around confused by her words as she continued, "I didn't even think about how hard this must be for you too." She looked up at Sora and assured him, "We are making a difference. Once we get my ship back we are going to make our way to Hollow Bastion to stop Maleficent and help our friends. They won't be helpless for long."

"But Riku won't listen to anything either of us say!" Sora countered, dissipating his blade.

"I know," Hinata admitted, "But that doesn't mean we should stop trying to get through to him. There is always hope."

Sora crossed his arms and closed his eyes before agreeing, "You're right. My heart knows that there is still good in him. Thanks." He looked back up at Hinata and smiled, before taking a deep breath and asking, "What do you know about Kairi?"

"She lost her heart." Hinata told him honestly, "I don't know how or why, it doesn't make any sense; there isn't any darkness inside Kairi so I don't know how her heart supposedly fell to the darkness."

"So you don't know how it happened…" Sora sighed disappointed.

"There's also… something else you should know." Hinata fidgeted her hands in front of her as she stammered out the words.

"What is it?" Sora looked up confused.

"Well, it's just that… you know how," Hinata fumbled her words, trying to figure out how she was going to say it. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and blurted out, "Kairi's my sister!"

"What?" Sora gasped as he leaned forward, "But that's impossible! You said Aiko was six when you came to Destiny Islands. Kairi isn't six; I mean sure she looks a lot like you but that's still an eight year difference."

"I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out." Hinata put up her hands as she began to explain, "When I went down to Christmas Town and met Santa he told me that my gifts were piling up when I was gone."

"While you were gone?" Sora repeated coming around the counter so he could stand in front of her.

"Yeah, don't interrupt." Hinata scolded him with a small smile before continuing, "Well as I talked with Santa he mentioned that my sister was closer than I thought. Then when I came back to my ship I found eight presents." She noticed Sora open his mouth to say something but she gave him a look that made him shut it immediately. "I haven't opened all of them yet, I still have three more to open; but each one, well except the one with my dog, has been giving me back some memories. And one of the presents was a Wayfinder; just like the one Kairi got back on the islands."

"But that doesn't prove anything." Sora interrupted as he couldn't help himself.

Hinata sighed and shook her head, "I know that, but when I turned it over it had a note from my sister. And at the end of the note it had Kairi's name."

"So you think that means Kairi is your sister?" Sora asked as he put a hand under his chin, "But that doesn't explain how she could be eight years older than how you remember her. Where were you during those years?"

"Well think about it," Hinata leaned her elbows on the table, thankful she was having someone to talk with about it. "I came here the same way as Kairi, eight years after she got here. What if I somehow got stuck in some sort of limbo?"

Sora crossed his arms, "Is that even possible?"

"Do you have any other ideas?" Hinata asked.

Sora thought about it for a while, "Well… no. I guess it's just a lot to take in."

Hinata lightly laughed, "You're telling me. I still haven't fully understood it yet. It was really hard for me at first. To think that I was with my sister the entire time I was on the islands and didn't realize it; and then when I do find out she's in that state." As she finished her sentence, reality began to set in as she slumped her shoulders and felt her heart sink.

"Now we really have to get Kairi back." Sora noted as he sat in one of the chairs by the table. "I can't believe it… Kairi was your sister the whole time." When Hinata nodded he slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "We are going to set everything right! We're going to save Kairi and Riku, and then we can all go back to the island together!"

Grabbing the bowl of fruit, Hinata made her way to the table and sat down across from Sora. Setting the bowl down she agreed, "Yeah, we have to do whatever it takes to save them."

The two of them ate the fruit and remained mostly silent until Goofy came down the stairs. "Hey fellas, we reached Hinata's ship!"

Both of them quickly got up from their seats and made their way back up to the cockpit. Sure enough, Hinata's ship was right in front of them and Jack could be faintly seen floating by the windshield wagging his tail. Hinata smiled as she pulled her black device off her vest.

"Thank you guys for bringing me here." She told Chip and Dale, "So am I following you guys to Traverse Town now?"

Chip and Dale scurried over to Hinata and climbed onto her shoulders. "Actually," Chip spoke up as he reached her shoulder, "Dale and I need to check out your navigation. We think we may have a way to get you straight to Hollow Bastion."

"Really?" Sora exclaimed, "Can we follow her?"

"We aren't sure yet." Dale admitted, "That's why we need to go look."

"Well alright." Hinata smiled as she was about to press the beaming button on her device when Sora grabbed her arm.

"I want to come over to see your gifts." Sora told her and Hinata nodded as she beamed them over.

Instantly they appeared in the cockpit of Hinata's ship. Chip and Dale scurried off of Hinata onto the control board and immediately went to work. As Hinata was taking off her blood stained vest she heard Sora laugh. Looking over she saw Jack sniffing and licking Sora's face making him laugh and half-heatedly try to push the ghost dog away.

"So this is your dog?" Sora asked as he rubbed the dog's head.

Hinata smiled, "Yeah, I named him Jack."

"Jack?" Sora repeated, "You mean like Jack Skellington? Did you even meet him?"

"No," Hinata shook her head and admitted, "When I opened the gift with Jack inside there was a note that had the name Jack on it. I didn't know who the name belonged to so I just gave it to him."

Sora chuckled as Jack licked his cheek, "Well he's great."

Hinata smiled as she walked out of the cockpit, "The other presents are in here."

As Hinata left, Jack turned away from Sora and floated ahead of her to land on the table. Hinata tossed her vest onto one of the beds next to her brown satchel as she sat down in a chair in front of her remaining presents.

"Wow!" Sora exclaimed as he saw the bright wrapping paper and empty boxes around the room. "What have you gotten so far?"

Hinata pointed behind her towards the other bed in the room. On top of the navy blue comforter were the opened presents all lined up next to each other. Sora walked over to the bed and looked inside each box.

"You can have one of the ice-creams if you want." Hinata told him as he lifted the dark blue lid of the box.

"Oh sure, thanks," Sora smiled as he grabbed one of the remaining two light blue popsicles. About to take a bite he asked, "How is this still frozen?"

"I have no idea." Hinata shrugged as she watched Sora take a bite.

"It's salty!" Sora noted as he quickly took the frozen treat out of his mouth.

"But also sweet right?" Hinata finished, "It's called Sea-salt Ice cream."

Sora put the treat back into his mouth as he continued looking at the gifts, pausing when he reached the Wayfinder. Lifting it out of the box he traced his finger along the message written along the back; stopping when he read Kairi's name engraved in the shell. Using his free hand to hold his popsicle he pondered aloud, "I wonder why Kairi doesn't remember you. It makes sense for you not to remember with how long you were gone; but Kairi came to the island right away. So why did she forget?"

Hinata sighed, "I don't know."

Reluctantly placing the Wayfinding back in the box, Sora stuck the ice cream back in his mouth and went to sit in the other chair by the table across from Hinata. He reached out his hand and pet Jack behind the ears before asking, "You got Jack as a present? Was he floating around with a bow when you came back here from Christmas Town or something?"

"I wish!" Hinata laughed, "No, he was inside this creepy coffin box and when I opened it he was only a pile of bones."

"What?" Sora looked up confused, almost losing his ice cream.

"There was a letter from Santa inside that smoothed things over." Hinata explained, "Something about a mishap with Halloween Town."

"Maybe that's why Jack never mentioned Christmas Town." Sora pondered as he looked over at the remaining three wrapped presents. "Are you going to open those?"

Hinata reached over and grabbed a shoe box sized gift wrapped with dark green wrapping paper tied with white ribbon. "I guess I can open at least one in front of you." She gave in and pulled at the ribbon.

Sora waited impatiently as Hinata slowly tore away the paper and lifted the lid of the white box underneath. Once the lid was off and Hinata had yet to react he blurted, "Well what is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Hinata admitted as she lifted two gauntlet like gloves out of the box. "I think they are gloves."

Placing them on the table so Sora could get a look at them, she took off one of her own brown gloves. She grabbed one of the gauntlets and placed it on her bare hand. She had to roll up her sleeve a little bit to let the entire thing fit. It was a soft comfortable fabric around her hand and then turned to metal at her wrist reaching all the way up to her mid forearm. All of her fingers spare her thumb were covered by the dark brown fabric while a maroon color went over the front of her hand. The metal was a gold accented with maroon and brown details. The top of the gauntlet was rather thick as if it housed something inside of it with a small golden button on the side. Clenching her hand into a fist then relaxing it she noted, "Well it's comfortable."

Sora picked up the other gauntlet that was still on the table and examined it. Turning it in his hands he said, "It looks like something is inside of it." Holding it away from his face he reached his thumb over to press the golden button.

Hinata noticed Sora's intentions and yelled out, "Sora don't!" But she was too late as Sora pressed the button.

Immediately a small hatch opened on the front of the metal casing and a thin black wire hooked on the edge shot out to the other end of the ship; hooking into a pillow on top of the bed across from them and whipping the gauntlet from Sora's loose grip. As the hook delved into the pillow a burst of feathers puffed into the air in a chaotic cloud causing both Sora and Hinata to let out surprised yelps. Once the feathers had floated softly to the floor, the gauntlet could be seen protruding from the now empty pillow.

Hinata sent Sora a glare as she scolded him, "You need to be more careful! What if that thing hooked you in the face?"

Rubbing his hand behind his neck, Sora chuckled, "Well at least now you know what it does!"

"Well thanks a lot; you ruined one of my pillows." Hinata grumbled as she got up from her chair to grab her stray gauntlet. Unhooking it from the pillow she remarked, "They must be some sort of hook shot gauntlets. I've read about them, but never thought I would ever actually have a pair of my own."

"Everything okay out there?" Chip squeaked from the cockpit.

"Yeah, Sora was just being a Numbskull." Hinata called back getting a pout from Sora. She laughed under her breath, maybe Sora didn't change as much as she had thought; which wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Chip and Dale giggled in response before Dale told her, "We are almost done with what we are doing; just a few more minutes."

"Alright thanks." Hinata told them as she made her way back to the table and sat down.

"What's in the other two?" Sora asked excitably, already over the mishap with the hook shot.

Hinata looked at him bewildered before breaking out into a laugh. "You are unbelievable." She snickered under her breath as she took off her gauntlet and placed both of them back in the box before reaching for the next gift. She had to admit, it was nice to take a moment to enjoy friendly company when there were so many other negative things going on.

Reaching for the next gift she grabbed a rectangular present wrapped with red and white pinstriped paper and a thin black ribbon. Pulling away the wrapping and lifting the lid of the box, Hinata saw a brown book with the golden letters saying 'Journey Journal'. Pulling out the surprisingly light book, she placed it on the table.

"Journey Journal," Sora read aloud, "What's that?"

"I'm not sure." Hinata answered honestly as she flipped open the first page, surprised to see a picture of her with Sora, Kairi, and Riku by the paopu tree back on Destiny Islands.

"Is that a picture of us?" Sora asked as he turned the book towards him to get a better look. "Yeah, that's you, me, and Kairi sitting on the paopu tree and Riku leaning against it."

"And we are watching the sun set like we did almost every day." Hinata whispered, trying to figure out why Santa would give her a book like this.

Turning the page Sora exclaimed excitedly, "And look; here we all are in front of the raft we built before the island was destroyed!"

Hinata stood and walked behind Sora so she could get a better look at the picture; Kairi and Hinata were standing on the raft tying up the tan sail as Sora lay on his back on the sand with Riku sitting next to him watching the girls. Hinata smiled sadly as she noticed the look on Riku's face; it looked just like the one Peter had given Wendy back on the clock tower. Shaking the thought away, Hinata asked, "What's on the next page?"

Sora turned the page and held the book up at the next picture, "Was this in Wonderland?"

Sure enough, it was Riku and Hinata walking together through the field of colorful flowers of Wonderland, except that all the plants were towering feet above them creating a rainbow colored canopy with thin beams of sunlight shining through.

Hinata nodded, "Yeah that was when Riku and I were looking for Alice." She felt her heart sink as the words left her mouth; she had tried to forget what she and Riku had to done to poor Alice.

"Donald, Goofy, and I never got to see this part of Wonderland." Sora noted sadly, "I wish we did, it looks beautiful."

"It was." Hinata told him as she reached over and turned the page to find a picture of her in Prydain holding a long tree branch about to spar with Taran.

"Where was this?" Sora asked, "Are you wearing a dress?"

Hinata sighed, "It wasn't my choice. That was Prydain. Riku and I were stopping the evil king from getting something called the Black Cauldron." She laughed, "That was a boy named Taran that challenged me to a sparring match. He didn't last long."

Laughing, Sora asked, "So somehow you got a book from Santa that has pictures from every place you've been. How is that possible?"

Shrugging, Hinata admitted, "I've learned that Santa is a lot more powerful that I've ever given him credit for. He knew about me getting hurt from Ursula when I met him. He even knew the moment you, Donald, and Goofy landed in Halloween Town."

"He did?" Sora exclaimed, looking up at Hinata.

"He did." Hinata affirmed, "I have no idea how, and I tried asking but he wasn't too keen on sharing his secrets."

Sora laughed in return and was about to turn the page when Chip and Dale called from the cockpit. "We're done!"

In a rush, both of them made their way to the cockpit to see what Chip and Dale had accomplished. They were enjoying having some relaxation time, but they couldn't forget their real mission.

"What did you find out?" Hinata asked as she beat Sora into the cockpit by slightly pushing him out of the way when they were racing to the room.

"You can go straight to Hollow Bastion!" Dale informed her, jumping up and down.

"I can?" Hinata grinned, "That's great news!"

"Can we follow her?" Sora asked as he entered the room and elbowed Hinata for pushing him earlier.

"Well not exactly." Chip broke the news getting discontented looks from both Sora and Hinata. "Hinata's ship is equipped with a special gummi that allows her to travel to Hollow Bastion."

"And since her ship is originally from there, it was a simple matter a digging in the navigation database to find the coordinates." Dale jumped in.

"Right," Chip agreed, "But, our ship doesn't have the navi-gummi we need to get there."

"But can't we just copy Hinata's coordinates?" Sora pointed out, crossing his arms.

Chip shook his head, "Sorry Sora, even with the coordinates, without that gummi installed we wouldn't be able to make orbit."

"I bet Leon and Cid will know where we can get a gummi!" Dale assured Sora when he saw the way Sora slumped.

"Yeah, but that's just another world we have to stop at before we can help Riku and Kairi." Sora mumbled under his breath.

"You can come with me on my ship." Hinata suggested.

Sora thought about it for a moment, "Thanks, I wish I could take you up on that; but if we are going to take down Maleficent and help our friends we need to be at full strength. I'm going to need Donald and Goofy's help and even Chip and Dale might be needed. It's too risky to just leave my ship even if it means getting to Hollow Bastion quicker."

"Wow…" Hinata said under her breath, "That was a surprisingly mature thing of you to say."

"Thanks." Sora smiled and then placed his hands on his hips, "Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Hinata chuckled as she placed her hand on Sora's shoulder. "I can follow you still to Traverse Town if you need me to. That way we can storm Hollow Bastion together."

Sora shook his head, "No, you need to get to Hollow Bastion now and try to do what you can to stop Maleficent. We won't be in Traverse Town long and will be right behind you. Something tells me that you need to be there as soon as you can."

Hinata took her hand off Sora's shoulder; she was taken aback at how he could still act like the small child she knew from the island but then suddenly change gears to be this authoritative mature young man in front of her. Taking a deep breath she nodded, "Alright, I'll head to Hollow Bastion right now."

"We set your navigation to go straight to Hollow Bastion." Chip told Hinata as he and Dale scurried onto Sora. "Once we leave, your ship will automatically start moving."

"Thank you." Hinata told them, "I don't know what I would do if you guys weren't here."

"Happy flying!" Both Chip and Dale chimed to her, jumping up and down on Sora's shoulder.

She smiled at them before addressing Sora, taking note of his sullen look she assured him, "Everything's going to be fine Sora. Don't lose hope."

"You're right…" Sora mumbled as he looked down at his feet. "Thanks."

"Sure." She replied simply.

"Be careful alright?" Sora told her, "I don't know what to expect when we get there."

"Me neither." Hinata agreed, "But thank you, I will be careful."

"Alright, I'm ready." Sora looked out the windshield towards his own ship where Donald and Goofy could be seen in front of the controls and nodded to them. Donald waved back and pressed a few buttons on the holographic controls, causing a bright beam to surround Sora. Within seconds he was beamed back to his own ship with Chip and Dale. Once there, all of them looked out their windshield towards Hinata's ship and waved her goodbye as her ship began to fly away towards Hollow Bastion. Hinata stood waving back, feeling herself become more uneasy the farther away she went. When they were out of sight she sighed and made her way back to the other room to endure the long trip back to where she began.

***** Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions or thoughts, please let me know. I genuinely appreciate every piece of feedback. Have a wonderful week! *****


	39. Taking a Stand

Chapter 39

Hinata slumped down in her chair and stared out the ship's window as the stars whizzed past. It was going to be a long trip to Hollow Bastion. She only hoped that she wasn't going to be arriving too late; there was no telling how much faster Riku would get there. Jack noticed Hinata's sullen look and nuzzled his head under her hand. Hinata gave him a small smile and rubbed behind his ears.

"I'm glad you're here." She told him getting a happy bark in return.

She looked over Jack at the Journey Journal still opened to the picture from Prydain. Reaching out her other hand she pulled the book towards her and turned the page. She sadly smiled as she saw her and Riku in their Agrabah outfits standing next to each other along the wall during the Sultan's banquet. Riku was whispering something to her and Hinata had her hand over her mouth stifling a laugh; she remembered he had been making a comment about the sloppy eating habits of one of the guests at the banquet. Jack moved from Hinata's hand and went to the edge of the book to get a good look at what she was looking at. He wagged his tail as Hinata turned the page again to see a picture of her in Atlantica surrounded by the mermaid sisters as they did her hair and makeup in their bedroom grotto. Hinata chuckled under her breath as she thought back to those overwhelming but kind sisters before once again turning the page to see a picture of herself in Christmas Town. She was sitting in the red arm chair across from Santa, laughing as Santa smiled eating a cookie.

Jack wagged his tail and lightly licked Santa's face on the picture making Hinata chuckle, "You know him?"

He simply continued wagging his tail as Hinata once again turned the page and was somewhat surprised to see a picture of her with Sora on his gummi ship talking in the kitchen rather than one of her in Neverland. She guessed there wasn't anything worth remembering that happened there; however, still she wished she could have had at least one more picture of Riku in the book. Sighing, she reluctantly turned the page to find it blank as nothing more had yet happened. Patting Jack on the head she used her other hand to close the book entirely.

"I wonder if new pictures will show up by themselves." She pondered aloud as she picked up the book and placed it on the bed behind her with the other gifts.

As she sat back down in the chair after putting away the book, Jack flew behind the last gift and began pushing it towards Hinata. It was a rather thin gift about the size of an envelope. The wrapping was an amber color with a white bow on the top. Hesitant, Hinata grabbed the gift from Jack. The color of the paper made her somewhat uneasy but taking a deep breath she began ripping it away. She was surprised to find a single photo inside a simple black metal frame. Lifting the picture frame from the wrapping she examined it. It was daylight in the photo and various flower petals seemed to be blowing in the breeze in front of a tall brick building that had the word 'Dojo' plastered above two brown doors. In the photograph stood a group of people in front of the dojo; Hinata recognized herself standing between Lea and Isa as two other men she didn't recognize stood on either side of them. One of the men standing next to Isa was tall with long silver almost white hair that fell to his shoulders. The top of his hair spiked behind his head, similar to Isa's style. He wore a long white-sleeved shirt with black pants that went into elaborate white and black boots. His eyes were bright orange amber, the same color as the man Hinata had seen in the vision. As she looked at him standing next to Isa he had a smile on his face that almost seemed kind, but something inside Hinata's heart felt sickened; as if there was resentment in her against him.

Hinata mumbled to herself. "He looks familiar but… I can't place how I would have known him."

She forced herself to look away from the man's eyes to look at the other man that stood beside Lea. He seemed like a respectable older gentleman with long blonde hair and a beard that circled his entire mouth. His eyes were a similar color to Hinata's, only more orange than gold. He wore a dark red scarf around his neck and had a sincere smile on his face.

Hinata pointed to the man and told Jack, "I know him! He was…" She blinked her eyes for a moment, "Well actually… I guess I don't know. It's like on the tip of my tongue but…" Harshly putting the picture back on the table she groaned; "Why can't I remember everything clearly?"

Jack's bark got Hinata's attention as she looked over at him nuzzling his nose against the picture's frame. Hinata sighed as she once again grabbed the picture. "It's just a picture frame Jack." She told him slightly annoyed. Opening the back of the frame she popped the picture away from the glass and held the frame and picture up separately. "See? Nothing special; it's just another reminder of how little I know of my past."

Hinata was about to place the picture back in the frame when she noticed writing on the back of paper. Placing the frame onto the table she tried to make out the fancy cursive words. Making them out she read aloud, "Grand Opening of the Dojo; Ansem the Wise, Lea, Hinata, Isa, and Xehanort." Turning the picture over to look it over she repeated, "Xehanort and Ansem the Wise? I wonder who is who?"

The longer she looked at the photo the more frustrated she got that she couldn't place the pieces together of her memory. Sighing, she put the picture back in its frame and stretched. "I think I am going to take a well needed shower Jack." She looked over at him and then smiled, "Also, thanks for letting me know about the writing on the photo. How did you know about that?"

She wasn't sure why she was expecting an answer from him but when he only wagged his tail in response she chuckled, figuring it had to have something to do with Santa's magic and what not, and got up to take a shower. About thirty minutes later she was clean and refreshed. Coming out of the steamy bathroom she dried her long red hair and looked around the gummi ship; feathers from Sora's mishap with the gauntlets were strewn around the room as well as various pieces of colorful wrapping paper. It was a mess to say the least. Sighing, she wished that Sora had stayed with her on the trip to Hollow Bastion. Even with Jack there, she felt incredibly lonely. Something about being by herself made her uneasy. As she put away her towel and combed through her damp hair she made her way to the cockpit. The stars continued to fly past as the occasional world could be spotted shrinking in the distance as they made their way to Hollow Bastion. Hinata sat in one of the chairs and absently watched the vast darkness outside the windshield. The ship seemed to be moving faster than usual as the stars were barely recognizable and more looked like thin streaks of white.

"I wonder if it has something to do with that special gummi Chip mentioned." Hinata mused, noticing Jack float up beside her.

He looked over at the navigation screen then back at Hinata, seemingly asking where they were going.

"We are going to a place called Hollow Bastion." Hinata told him, "I don't know if I'll let you go onto the world with me though. It's going to be dangerous." When Jack whined she smiled, "I know you want to come along but… I don't really know what I'm up against and I don't want to put you in danger. I just got you!"

Jack put his head down in resignation as he floated onto Hinata's lap and sulked.

"I'm sorry Jack; maybe on the next world." She whispered as she stroked his back. "Maybe Riku and Kairi will be with us too." When Jack put his head up to look at her from the mention of new names, she asked him, "Could you grab that picture journal from the bed?" As Jack wagged his tail and instantly floated to the other room, Hinata mumbled, "I can't believe he actually listened."

Within seconds he came back to the cockpit with the journal in his mouth. Hinata was surprised that there was not a drop of slobber in sight when he dropped the book onto her lap. Sighing relieved, she opened the book to the first page with the picture of her, Sora, Riku, and Kairi on the paopu tree back on the islands. She pointed each of her friends out and explained who they were to Jack, occasionally telling him fun stories about each one and different adventures they had at their school. The more she talked about them, the more her stress and anxiety about what awaited her in Hollow Bastion began to fade away. Jack wagged his tail and listened intently to every word Hinata was saying, which only spurred her on to tell him more. Before either of them knew it, hours had passed and Hinata found herself enjoying the trip.

All of that shattered as the loud sound of hangar bay doors sliding open caught Hinata's attention. They had arrived in Hollow Bastion, and the hangar bay was welcoming the gummi ship back home. Hinata felt her throat go dry as she watched the ship gracefully land. Everything was rushing back to her. She was there to save her friends; no matter the cost. Jack licked Hinata's cheek in an attempt to help her calm her rapidly rising anxiety.

Hinata patted him on the head and took a deep breath. "I have to go Jack. My friends need me." When Jack barked as she walked out of the cockpit she momentarily stopped and told him, "Maleficent has to be stopped. If it weren't for her…" She clenched her hands into fists, "If it weren't for her, none of this would have happened. Riku wouldn't have sent me away. He wouldn't have changed." Her voice raised, "It's all her fault Jack!"

She looked back at Jack and widened her eyes when she saw his tail low and his ears back. Feeling her sudden anger calm she comforted him, "I'm sorry Jack. I didn't mean to lash out at you. You aren't the one I'm mad at." When Jack didn't change his stance she sighed, "Look, I have to go. Stay here and don't let anyone else on the ship until I get back."

Giving him a strained smile, Hinata grabbed her blades and rushed out of the ship. She ran out of the hangar bay and once she was in the main hallway she slowed to a walk. Turning around in place she whispered, "Riku, where are you?"

Her heart suddenly felt a sickened lurch as she turned towards the left end of the hall. Placing her hand over her heart she commented, "This feeling. It's just like the one I felt in that dark portal Riku made in Neverland. Could that mean he's this way?"

Nodding to herself that that was her best bet she ran in the direction her heart told her to. She had no idea where she was going as she went through multiple doors, halls, and even occasionally going to an outside area. Along the way she tightly gripped her swords as she predictably was met with multiple groups of Heartless. They barely fazed her as she stayed focused on her mission. She wasn't going to leave Hollow Bastion without Riku or Kairi; she was going to make sure of it.

Suddenly in front of a large doorway, Hinata felt like her heart was being squeezed. Clenching her eyes tightly shut she gritted her teeth and grabbed at her heart with her free hand as her other hands held her blades. Riku or at least something had to be in the next room. Attempting to ignore the sickening feeling inside her she pushed open the doors to see what was waiting for her. She stood in the doorway with a red carpet that led into a grand hall. In the center of the floor was the same heart insignia that was on the front of the castle. On either side of the symbol were three large golden torches lit with blue flames; however, even with the flames, the room was darker than the rest of the castle. Hinata could barely make anything out as she crept silently into the room. Ahead of her she could see a dark figure walking to the other end of the room towards a set of stairs. Slipping behind one of the large torches, Hinata peeked around the side, desperately trying to make her eyes adjust to the darkness. In front of the figure was a large oval energy that seemed to have something floating inside of it. Hinata squinted her eyes but couldn't quite make out what was inside. Leaning her back against the metal of the torch she tried to figure out her next move when she noticed a horrific sight in front of her. There inside a blue pod against the wall was Alice. She was unconscious and had a black crystal covering her from the waist down. It took everything in Hinata not to run over to her to check if she was breathing or if she could get her out. Trying to keep her breathing quiet and in check, Hinata looked beside Alice and found two more blue pods with other women inside of them. She bit her lip, as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Pushing away the emotion, she forced herself to turn around and peek around the torch. Her eyes had finally adjusted and she could make out three more pods on the opposite end of the room. Six girls in all, no doubt taken from their home for whatever sick plan Maleficent had up her sleeve; each of them unconscious and on display as if they were hunting trophies. Hinata felt her sadness swiftly being over taken by rage. Taking a deep breath, Hinata closed her eyes and reminded herself why she was there. The footsteps had continued walking down the hall and Hinata crept over to the next torch as the figure passed the oval in the center of the room. Making sure that the coast was clear Hinata stood from her spot and lightly walked over to the floating figure in the oval when she gasped; it was Kairi.

"No…" Hinata mouthed and without thinking she reached her hand towards Kairi, only to have a zap of electricity from the surrounding energy surge into her. Instantly she recoiled her hand and bit her lip in an attempt to keep her yelp of pain hidden.

The footsteps stopped their walk and Hinata forced herself to leave Kairi's side to lean up against a wall where she would be out of sight. She stared at Kairi's floating and unconscious figure, trying to figure out what she was going to do.

"Oh Purest of hearts," Maleficent's voice rang out through the hall, "Reveal to me the Keyhole!"

Hinata peered behind the corner of the wall she stood against and glared at the figure who revealed to be Maleficent; she wasn't going to let her get away with what she had done. A bright light caused Hinata to momentarily shield her eyes as she turned back to the pods of women and saw orbs of light forming above their hearts. In an instant, each of the orbs shot a beam towards the center of the ceiling where they all met and then shot one single beam to a large heart insignia on the other end of the room on the second floor. Hinata peered back over the corner watching the single beam make its way to the insignia and noticed Maleficent had turned her back to also watch the beam.

Tightening her grip on her blades and taking a deep breath, Hinata came out of her hiding spot and revealed herself. "What did you do to these girls?"

Maleficent instantly turned around at first with a scowl and then smoothed over into her sly wicked smile. "Hinata, what a pleasant surprise."

"Skip the pleasantries," Hinata sneered, "You know as well as I do that you hate my guts."

Maleficent laughed, "My dear child, why ever would I hate you?" As she spoke she tightened her grip on her staff.

"Please," Hinata scoffed taking a fighting stance. "You couldn't wait until I left."

Noticing Hinata's stance she shook her head, "Do you honestly think you stand a chance against me?"

"I don't know." Hinata glared and shrugged, "But I can't just sit here as you ruin people's lives."

Without waiting for Maleficent to answer she charged towards her; they were only a few feet apart and as Hinata jumped to slice towards Maleficent's neck the witch vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Maleficent's laugh resonated through the still air as Hinata spun, frantically looking for any sign of her. "So you desire a fight?" Maleficent reappeared on the second floor of the hall by the heart insignia.

"I'll give you much more than that!" Hinata growled as she sprinted to the top of the stairs to meet her opponent. The green orb on top of Maleficent's staff glowed bright as a surge of ice shot towards Hinata but she instantly rolled out of the way.

Her blades clashed against the hard staff in Maleficent's hands as she pressed down as hard as she could. Maleficent let out a yell as she pushed Hinata off and summoned a group of large Heartless holding shields. She gained her breath, as Hinata sliced through her defenses. As the last Heartless was struck down, Hinata absorbed the green orbs only giving her more power.

"I am the Mistress of All Evil!" Maleficent boasted, reassuming her stoic stance, "What makes you think you can stand a chance against me?"

"Quit the small talk!" Hinata countered as she dodged a fire attack from Maleficent and came in for another hit. She wasn't able to hit her skin as Maleficent's staff was swiftly blocking her.

It didn't stop her as Hinata continued to try to hit Maleficent from different angles. In close range the witch didn't have as many magic tricks that would prove useful. Despite that however, Maleficent was surprisingly able to block a majority of Hinata's moves and would occasionally teleport away and summon her own personal army of Heartless.

"Stop making your minions do all the work!" Hinata yelled after slaying through the third wave of unrelenting Heartless. "If you claim to be all powerful, why don't you prove it?"

"Don't test me!" Maleficent reappeared right behind Hinata and summoned lightning.

Hinata rolled out of the way but not before getting a few zaps to her arm. She winced as she stood back up but shook away the pain so she could focus. A ball of fire came shooting her way and she didn't have the reaction time to dodge. Without thinking, she crossed her blades protectively in front of her and was surprised when the magic deflected off of them and went barreling back towards Maleficent. She smirked as the witch's own attack hit her in the chest.

Maleficent grabbed at her chest as the flames burned out and gritted her teeth. Hinata was better than she had anticipated and she didn't have the time to waste on such a petty girl. As she looked up she was met with Hinata charging towards her with a look of pure vengeance in her eyes. Instantly she shrouded Hinata in mist and teleported her away.

Coughing as the smoke unexpectedly filled her lungs, Hinata waved away the mist so she could continue her fight. She was shocked when she found herself in a completely different area; she was back in the hallway she started out in.

Maleficent's laugh could be heard echoing through the halls and Hinata taunted, "Where are you, you witch?"

"I'm afraid I have much more urgent matters that require my attention." Maleficent's voice told her mockingly.

"You mean you're running away?" Hinata smirked, "I didn't realize that the Mistress of All Evil was such a coward."

"Silence!" Maleficent roared, "Your presence is no longer welcomed here, I suggest you leave."

Suddenly countless Heartless of all different types surrounded Hinata; at which she instantly readied her swords. "Again with the minion thing," Hinata muttered under her breath as she lunged towards the first Heartless.

Slicing and dodging she took out as many Heartless as she could. Her muscles were swiftly beginning to strain as they begged her to take a moment of rest; however none was possible as the numbers of enemies didn't seem to decrease no matter how many she destroyed. Placing her back against the wall of the hall she felt her energy sapping away.

"Thunder!" Donald's voice rang out as threads of electricity shot to the ground taking out multiple Heartless.

Hinata's eyes lit up as she spotted Sora, Donald, and Goofy making their way through the horde. A new surge of life spread into her as she rolled out of the way of an enemy attempting to bash her with their shield. Standing back up she fought her way to get to Sora's side. With all four of them fighting the number of Heartless finally began to dwindle. As she reached their side there was no time for greetings as the four of them stood back to back and sliced their way through the enemies. Everything surrounding them became a black smoke as so many Heartless disintegrated around them and they eagerly grabbed the orbs they left behind.

As all four of them were reaching their stamina limit that even the orbs could not quench they finally stuck down the last Heartless. Hinata fell to her knees in exhaustion, taking shallow breaths as she felt beads of sweat dripping down her neck. Sora plopped down behind her and leaned his back against hers, also out of breath while Donald and Goofy guarded the area.

"What did you do to get surrounded like that?" Sora asked once his breath was returning.

Hinata laughed breathily, "Pissed off the Mistress of All Evil apparently."

"Oh… well good job." Sora laughed back. "We just saw Riku."

"You did!?" Hinata jumped up and faced the group, making Sora fall backwards onto his back.

Sora stood back up rubbing his head and giving Hinata an unappreciated look. Sighing he admitted, "Yeah, we saw him when we first got here. Something's wrong. He's changed." When he noticed the look from Hinata he clarified, "Like he's even more different than when you saw him in Neverland."

"What happened?" Hinata asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"He stole the Keyblade!" Donald exclaimed.

"How? Is that even possible?" Hinata asked in disbelief and then looked over at Sora, "But weren't you just fighting with it?"

"I don't know how he did it." Sora told her summoning his Keyblade, "He said something about something Maleficent said; but when I followed him and fought him I got it back."

"You fought against him?" Hinata widened her eyes then looked away saddened. "What happened to you guys? You used to be best friends."

"He still is my best friend." Sora assured her, "We are going to get him out of this and things will be back to the way they were before."

"Will they?" Hinata looked back at Sora with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know." Sora admitted after a moment. "But like you said back on the ship, we can't lose hope."

They stayed silent for a couple minutes as they both thought about when had just happened. Hinata took a deep breath before informing them, "I saw Kairi, Maleficent has her in some large hall with six other girls. I tried to save her, but Maleficent teleported me here and that's when you found me."

Sora looked up at Hinata and listened intently. When she was done he nodded to Donald and Goofy, "Then let's go, there isn't any time to lose." Looking back to Hinata he asked, "Do you know how to get there from here?"

Hinata rubbed the back of her neck, "Not exactly, I was following a weird feeling in my gut when I got here and it sort of just led me there. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She felt her cheeks flush feeling ashamed that she hadn't paid more attention. "I know I first headed that way." She pointed down the hall and continued, "With all the fighting it took me about an hour to get there."

Nodding, Sora said, "Alright, then let's go."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy instantly began heading where Hinata had pointed when she called out to them, "Actually, I think I am going to try to find Riku."

Sora momentarily stopped, "Are you sure that's a good idea? It would probably be better if we stuck together. What if you get caught in another horde like you did earlier?"

"I know it isn't the best idea," Hinata admitted, "But I have to at least try to talk some sense into him; try to figure out what happened."

Considering it for a moment, Sora sighed, "Alright, if that's what you feel like you need to do. We fought him in the main entrance but then he ran into the right door on the second floor. I tried following him but he was gone."

"Alright, thank you." Hinata told him, then looked at Donald and Goofy who were waiting for Sora to continue moving. "Take care of each other."

"We will." They said together with big smiles. As Donald and Goofy continued to walk, Sora looked just a little bit longer at Hinata before reluctantly turning around and following after his comrades. Once they were out of ear shot of Hinata, Sora clenched his hand over his heart momentarily closed his eyes.

"Gee Sora, is something botherin' ya?" Goofy asked, placing his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"No, well, it's just that I have this feeling that I won't see Hinata again." Sora stammered out.

"Ah, you're just hungry!" Donald brushed it off, "She'll be fine!"

"I hope you're right." Sora noted, as he summoned his Keyblade and led ahead; however, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was about to happen.

***** Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! I am so incredibly sorry for how late this chapter is. We had some company this last week and I haven't had any time to write; but thankfully, all the company is gone now and I can catch up. Please let me know what you think! Have a wonderful week! *****


	40. Possession

Chapter 40

Riku felt his heart drumming in his ears as he pushed himself to run. He didn't know where he was heading but he had to get away. A lump was quickly forming in his throat as his heart felt sick. He had finally gotten the Keyblade, the one thing he had been striving for and it was taken from him.

"Why?" He panted out as he ran into a hallway, "It was mine!"

"Know this…" A deep voice bellowed behind him.

Riku stopped in his tracks and widened his eyes as he instantly recognized the voice as the figure that had been on the islands the night it was destroyed. Catching his breath he turned around to see the same cloaked figure only shrouded in a glowing mist.

"The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade." The voice continued once Riku was looking.

"What?" Riku asked glaring, "You're saying my heart's weaker than his?"

"In that instance it was." The voice told him.

Widening his eyes, Riku clenched his hands into fists and stared at the ground; only lifting his head when the voice continued.

"However, you can become stronger." The voice continued taking a few steps towards Riku.

Seeing the figure closer, Riku momentarily felt fear creeping into him but swiftly pushed it away and stood his ground.

"You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger." The voice urged him, a slight smirk heard in his words.

Riku looked back at the ground and held out his hands in front of him. He felt his entire being festering with differing emotions and warnings; but by taking a deep breath he shoved the feelings away and asked, "What should I do?"

The voice let out a faint chuckle, "It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being become darkness itself."

Smirking as he could already feel the rush of adrenaline from the darkness seeping into him, Riku looked back up at the figure as it crept closer to him. The glowing mist that had been emanating from the cloaked figure transferred to Riku and the closer the being came to him the stronger the darkness became. Closing his eyes, Riku tried to keep the sensation under control as it was becoming overwhelming when in a matter of seconds the pleasurable powerful rush transformed into indescribable pain. He clenched at his heart as it burned as if it were in flames and let out a yell.

"What's happening?" He cried out.

"Be still, the pain will pass." The voice assured him except the voice was now inside Riku's head.

His knees buckled as he fell to the ground. Taking shuddered breaths, he knelt on the ground and supported himself by his arms that were trembling. He clenched his teeth as he felt beads of sweat forming on his skin. Closing his eyes he suddenly found himself in what seemed to be a Corridor to Darkness. The pain was still sweeping through him except it seemed more like an afterthought rather than overtaking him.

"Where am I?" He asked when a man appeared across from him.

The man was tall with long white hair falling past his strong shoulders. His amber eyes stared Riku down. White gloved arms crossed over his long gray trench coat as he seemed to be floating in midair

"We are inside your heart." The man answered his earlier question.

Riku's eyes widened as he recognized the voice as the cloaked figure he saw earlier. He looked around at the dark surroundings. Other than himself and the man across from him, it was completely black. Looking back at the man he asked, "What are you doing inside my heart?"

The man laughed, "Such a foolish boy, only thinking now to ask of my intentions."

Riku scowled up at the man and instantly began to feel threatened. Outstretching his arm he attempted to summon Soul Eater but was shocked when nothing appeared. Glaring up at the man he noticed a smirk on his face. "Who are you?" He asked.

Outstretching his arms to his sides the man introduced himself, "Ansem, the seeker of darkness."

"Ansem," Riku repeated, recognizing the name, "Are you the one who killed the Horned King back on Prydain?"

Ansem nodded his head and informed him, "I have been lingering inside your hearts ever since you opened the door; waiting for this moment."

"And what moment is that?" Riku asked cautiously.

"The moment we combine our darkness to take what is truly ours." Ansem slyly told him.

The pain that had been racking Riku's body began to subtlety subside as the slight rush of power returned. Riku smirked and answered, "The Keyblade."

Crossing his arms again, the man nodded, "Precisely."

Riku laughed, "It's so simple. With us combined we can take back the Keyblade from Sora."

"That won't be necessary." Ansem told him and motioned his head towards a distant light.

Riku looked over and was instantly back in his own body inside the hallway on Hollow Bastion. Without fully realizing where he was his body stood from its kneeling position and outstretched an arm.

"I'm not the one doing this," Riku whispered, "What's going on?"

Without an answer from Ansem, Riku saw his hand open and with a flash of a black energy a Keyblade appeared in his hand. The handle was a deep blood red as the blade itself was black and sharp.

"A… Keyblade…" Riku gasped at the weapon in his hand.

As he held the blade in his hand his entire appearance began to change along with it. His bright clothes melded into a somber dark ensemble as if it were becoming a part of him.

"My very own Keyblade," Riku noted with a grin as he felt control of his body seep back into him and began to swing the blade. As he spoke he noticed his own voice had changed. It was no longer just his; Ansem's deep bellowing voice had merged with his. He suddenly thought of Hinata and how she would react to his new change, causing his excitement to slightly diminish. Lowering the blade he asked, "Why couldn't I control my body before?"

"We have merged together." Ansem's voice rang in Riku's head, "We both can take control whenever it is necessary; therefore ultimately combining our powers."

Riku felt an uncomfortable feeling form in his gut but took a deep breath and asked, "What happens now?" He felt a sudden spike of pain in his mind. Grabbing at his head he asked through clenched teeth. "What are you doing?"

"Searching your memories for what I have missed in my absence." Ansem told him plainly.

"Get out of there!" Riku demanded. "Couldn't you see what happened when you were in my heart?"

"I was hiding away waiting for the right moment." Ansem told him, quickly getting aggravated by Riku's questions. "I was no more aware of your thoughts than you were of mine."

Riku was about to respond when he felt his body relinquish control. His heart spiked with fear as he felt his hands come down from his head and his legs began to walk on their own. His own sight began to blur as his surroundings began to fade and he found himself once again inside the dark heart. Spinning around in place he called out, "Where are you taking me? Give me back control!"

Ansem's voice bellowed around him, "It will be faster if I am in control. The Princess awaits."

"The Princess…" Riku repeated as he began to run, desperately trying to find a way out. The farther he ran the darker his surroundings became; there was no escape. He was trapped inside his own heart. Exhausted, he leaned his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

He heard an echo of a familiar voice ring around him. "Riku is that you?" As she spoke, a dim ring of light trickled through the vast darkness.

Riku instantly stood up straight and spun around, "Hinata?"

His body stop moving as Ansem immediately appeared in front of Riku in his heart. Ansem grabbed Riku's collar and demanded, "What was that name?"

Riku struggled to get out of his grasp, taken aback by the sudden aggression, before asking, "Didn't you see her when you were going through my memories?"

Ansem threw Riku harshly to the ground, and outstretched his arms. Suddenly a vast array of pictures floated towards them. Each picture was a different memory of Riku's and each played as if it were a movie. Riku scrambled to his feet as he looked at the scenes play before him. Some of them pleasant while others more painful to remember; the only similar thing between all of them is that they each contained Hinata.

"Impossible…" Ansem mumbled under his breath as he held a hand to his chin.

Riku immediately looked over at Ansem and demanded, "What do you know about her?"

Without looking at Riku, Ansem answered, "That does not concern you." As he finished his words he vanished away as well as the pictures containing the memories.

"What do you want with her?" Riku yelled desperately into the vast darkness, "Let me see her!"

As the words left his mouth, Riku was instantly back in his own body in Hollow Bastion. He could see the green flames flickering against the stone walls in the hall; but Hinata was nowhere to be seen. Slowly, he felt his body beginning to turn around even though he was not the one doing it. It was as if he was stuck in a nightmare. As he turned he saw Hinata standing several feet away from him, taking deep breaths as if she were worn out. It looked as if she had just gotten there from a long battle. Riku tried to open his mouth to speak but he couldn't even manage that.

"Ah, Hinata," Riku heard his contorted voice break the silence, even though he was not the one talking. "One would think that eight years would change a person; however you look exactly the same. How did you manage that?"

Hinata took a couple steps back and widened her eyes, taken aback by the voice. Shaking her head she asked. "How do you know about that? Where is Riku?"

Summoning the dark Keyblade, Ansem in Riku's body chuckled, "You really want to know where he is? The boy who is the sole reason that island was destroyed?" He momentarily twitched as the words left his mouth as if he was fighting to control his actions.

"What?" Hinata gasped. "What do you mean?"

"I see you are still as ignorant as you were years ago." Ansem goaded, readying his weapon.

Hinata took a few steps back and demanded, "Tell me what happened!"

"It's really quite simple." Ansem motioned his hand as he spoke. "I gave him the opportunity to allow himself passage to leave that prison and he took it without a second thought. All of those people are scattered across the worlds, many without their hearts, because of him." He stopped moving for a moment as he finished speaking and seemed to almost be in pain before he stood back up straight as if nothing had happened.

Widening her eyes as she saw his actions, Hinata stalked towards him and readied her blades. "Whatever happened on the islands that day was not Riku's fault. If anything it was your manipulation. Are you working with Maleficent?"

Ansem burst into a laugh, "Please, do not insult me! That witch does not even have the slightest idea I exist. She is merely a pawn and will eventually lose her heart to the darkness; as all will."

Hinata cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes before asking, "Who are you?"

Standing up straight, Ansem put the Keyblade at his side and stared at Hinata for a few seconds before simply saying, "Ansem."

Instantly remembering the name on the back of the photograph, Hinata also put her blades back down to her sides. "Ansem," She repeated before shaking her head. "No, that's not right. That isn't your name."

"Then please, enlighten me with my real name." Ansem smirked and outstretched his free hand towards her.

Hinata stared at him for a few moments and bit her lip, as if she was having trouble forcing the name out. It was suddenly distasteful to say. Taking a breath she spoke up, "Xehanort."

Readying his blade once again, Xehanort glared at Hinata, "You do remember." He was about to take a step towards Hinata when he stopped in his tracks and began twitching as if in a struggle.

Instantly running towards him, Hinata called out "Riku!"

Before she could reach him, Xehanort let out a yell and swiftly swung the Keyblade at Hinata. Gasping in surprise, Hinata jumped back enough to have the blade swish past her and readied her swords.

"Let him go!" Hinata demanded as she tried to figure out what to do.

Without answering, Xehanort summoned Dark Firaga and shot it towards Hinata. Holding her blades up in defense, the flames ricocheted back towards her enemy but he pushed the flame aside as if it were a stray ball from a child's game. The force of the flames against her swords caused her fingers to burn. She let out a short pained yell, but remained focused on the man in front of her. Before she could fully recover from the burn, Xehanort was instantly charging towards her emanating a dark mist around him. Their blades met with a loud clang that echoed through the empty halls. Momentarily backing away, Xehanort smirked before disappearing and reappearing right behind Hinata. As his blade came in for a blow, Hinata instantly somersaulted out of the way and knelt on the ground, looking behind herself just in time to block the Keyblade from slicing into her.

"Why are you doing this?" Hinata groaned out as she used all of her strength to keep her blades between her and the destructive weapon.

Using his pure strength to overpower Hinata by pressing the blade closer and closer to her bare neck; Xehanort ignored Hinata's words and instead felt a grin beginning to form on his face. Hinata's arms began trembling as the weight was becoming too great. She desperately looked around, trying to find a way to get out of the situation. Before she knew what was happening, Xehanort let out a disgruntled cry as he backed away and twitched.

"I won't let you do this!" Riku's voice broke through as he put all of his strength into stopping Xehanort.

"Riku," Hinata cried out as she scrambled to her feet.

"Hinata," Riku struggled to say as he staggered backwards, getting a small amount of control back into his body, "You need to get out of here."

Shaking her head, Hinata argued, "No, I'm not leaving you. Not like this."

"You have to!" Riku yelled then grated his teeth, "I can't hold him back for long…"

"I'm not going anywhere!" she told him adamantly, "Not without you."

Riku looked up at Hinata, his eyes pleading her to leave before they transformed into empty emotionless eyes glaring at her. "You're so pathetic!" Xehanort's voice overtook Riku's and laughed. "Your defiance is only going to result in losing your heart to darkness!"

Hinata instantly readied her blades and bit, "So be it! I'm not going to just walk away after what you've done to him."

Xehanort scowled as he readied his Keyblade and stabbed towards Hinata's heart. Hinata spun out of the way and sliced along his back, causing a whiff of black smoke to mist into the air.

"You'll pay for that!" Xehanort growled as he turned around and swung his Keyblade towards Hinata.

The blades struck together and Hinata was able to push him off with the strength in her legs. She sliced at his arm, creating another piece of blackness to spray into the air. As her enemy was grasping his arm trying to stop the mist from escaping she stood straight.

"Let Riku go!" She urged him again, pointing one of her blades towards him.

Xehanort stood up straight and laughed. "You think because of the scratches you have inflicted that you can still come out victorious?" He turned towards Hinata, "That could not be farther from the truth."

He disappeared as Hinata was looking in an attempt to discover his whereabouts when he reappeared inches from her face and wrapped his hand around her neck. Before Hinata could react, he tightened his grip around her and lifted her off the ground; shoving her back forcibly against the wall of the hall. The sudden surprise attack caused Hinata to drop her blades as she clasped her hands around Xehanort's arm.

"You were supposed to be a member!" Xehanort yelled at her as he tightened his hand around her weakening pulse. "But you ran off with your precious family!"

Gasping for a breath that was not there, Hinata choked out, "I don't… know what you… are talking… about…"

"It doesn't matter… not for much longer." Xehanort told her as he glared. "Let your heart fall into the darkness!"

Hinata desperately tried to wriggle out of his tight grasp but the more she tried the stronger his grip became. Hinata looked into his eyes. They were no longer Riku's eyes that had been full of life and promise. Instead they were filled with hatred, determined to bring her to an end. As Hinata looked into him the corners of her vision began to blur. Everything around her slowly distorted to black as she felt her very being beginning to fade.

Riku watched as he drained Hinata's life away. He wasn't in control but he could sense every movement. He felt Hinata's pulse weakening under the palm of his hand and felt powerless to stop it; but he had to try. Imagining himself back inside his darkened heart he desperately tried to regain control.

"Stop," He cried out, "This isn't what I wanted!"

Xehanort appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the collar, "This isn't about what you want boy! You allowed me into your heart and now your voice has no value. All you are is my puppet!"

He tossed Riku to the ground and was about to disappear when Riku confessed, "I won't let you kill her! I love her!"

Stopping, Xehanort slightly turned towards Riku with a grin, "All the more reason to end her."

Hinata's attempts to free herself were becoming weaker with every movement as her vision was almost completely gone. She tried to fight it but her mind was beginning to shut down. Rapidly blinking her eyes she tried to get one more look at Riku before her spirit completely faded away but all she could see was a rush of darkness passing over her. With one last breath she whispered, "I'm sorry Riku…"

As her mind fell out of consciousness. Riku's voice broke through in a loud yell echoing in the hall as he fought with Xehanort to loosen his grip on Hinata's neck. His eyes widened as he saw Hinata's skin paling, he wasn't fighting hard enough. Putting all of his might into forcing Xehanort away he was able to completely let go of Hinata's neck and she crumbled to the ground. Riku staggered backwards as Xehanort attempted to regain control.

"No…" Riku said as he clenched his hands around his head, "You're not taking her from me!"

"What did I say?" Xehanort bellowed inside his mind, "You are my puppet! You do not interfere! No matter how hard you fight, I will overtake you!"

"I don't care!" Riku bit back undeterred, despite the pain racking through his body from every movement. "I'm not letting her die like this!"

Slowly bending down, trying to ignore the agonizing blows Xehanort was inflicting on him every second he fought him, Riku spotted Hinata's black device clipped to her pants and grabbed it. Pressing the large button on the front both of them were instantly transported onto her gummi ship. Riku barely noticed his surroundings as his only focus was on Hinata. Moving his hands under her, he lifted her off the floor of the cockpit and clenched his teeth as he dragged his feet towards one of the beds. He was only able to take two steps before letting out a cry and falling to the ground, causing Hinata to roughly hit her head on the hard floor.

"Allow the darkness to overtake you." Xehanort's voice coaxed inside his mind, once again sounding enticing rather than the fury he possessed before.

Riku grated his teeth as he felt the corners of his vision blur. "No… not anymore," he denied in a weak voice; forcing himself to sit up. Hinata lay still unconscious beside him, he could have sworn he noticed her chest lightly rise and fall as if she was taking a breath. As much as he wanted to make sure she was alive he had to get off the ship before Xehanort forced control over him again. He was startled by a bark from a dog and weakly looked in the direction of the sound to see a floating ghost dog flying from the table over to Hinata. He stared at the creature and momentarily wondered what it was or why it was there; but another wave of throbbing discomfort begrudgingly reminded him of his urgent need of retreat.

Leaning against the wall he pulled himself to stand. He pushed himself to make it back to the control board in the cockpit. Every movement was making him weaker as Xehanort was threatening to take him over. Pressing his hands against the edge of the control board he shook his head in an attempt to clear his blurred vision so he could make out which button he had to press to make it back to Hollow Bastion. As soon as he had boarded the ship with Hinata the ship had departed. If he didn't find the button soon he wouldn't be able to beam back to Hollow Bastion before Xehanort took him over. Frantically he searched for the button, his mind fogged by pain; when he found it and immediately pushed it. Instantly he found himself back in Hollow Bastion in the main hallway with the slumbering princesses. As he appeared his body fell to the ground and he trembled as he took short shallow breaths.

Closing his eyes he felt himself fading away and when he reopened them he found himself back in his heart. As he looked up he saw Xehanort standing in front of him with a look of pure rage. Xehanort reached down and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stand.

"If you ever interfere again," Xehanort began threatening, glaring straight into Riku's sullen eyes, "You will no longer be my puppet. You will be dealt with and your heart will join the darkness along with Hinata's."

"I'm not going to let that stop me." Riku told him weakly.

Xehanort scowled as he lifted his hand and backhanded Riku across his face, causing him to fall to the ground. As Riku's face stung he reluctantly pushed himself off the ground and found that he was once again alone inside his heart. Xehanort was nowhere to be seen and had already taken control of Riku's body.

Riku looked around the dark opaque blackness that was his heart surrounding him. All of it was his doing, everything he had done since leaving the islands had been slowly destroying him and he had just ignored it. He looked down at his hands and felt the weight of reality coming down on him. "Kairi… Sora… Hinata… I'm sorry." He whispered as he felt his eyes well up with tears, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just…" His voice faded as he tightly shut his eyes and felt a single tear stream down his reddened stinging cheek. He clenched his hand and looked up into the darkness, "I'm going to make this right."

Out in the distance, barely in view appeared a thin beam of light breaking through the darkness; letting Riku know that there was at least a ray of hope still left. Even in the darkest places, light can still be found.

***** Author's Note: Here we are the last chapter of True Friends. 346 pages and over 165,000 words later we have reached the end. This has been a fantastic journey to write and this last chapter specifically was one of the hardest things I've ever had to write. Thank you everyone for coming along for the ride and supporting me throughout. Every one of you is greatly appreciated! Hinata will be back in the sequel to this story that I will begin working on soon. I am not sure yet what I should title the next story, but be on the lookout for a new story from me within this next month. **

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you thought of it overall! Even if you have never commented on my story before, I would love to hear what you thought! I am hoping to go back and rewrite the entirety of the story; especially the first few chapters. My writing has definitely improved, but I also know that I have a lot more I can improve on. Anyways, thank you everyone! I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. *****


	41. New Story

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to let all of you know that I just posted the first chapter of the sequel.

The story is called 'Third Beginning' and I hope all of you enjoy it!

Thank you so much for your support!


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